Lonnie David Chisenhall (born October 4, 1988) is an American former professional
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...
and
outfielder
An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...
. He played in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
(MLB) for the
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...
. He made his MLB debut with the Indians in June 2011 while playing third base. Chisenhall transitioned to
right field later in his career.
Amateur career
Chisenhall attended
West Carteret High School
West Carteret High School is a public secondary school located in Morehead City, North Carolina on Country Club Road, and is part of the Carteret County Public Schools system. The school serves the student populations of Morehead City, Newport, A ...
in
Morehead City, North Carolina
Morehead City is a port town in Carteret County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 8,661 at the 2010 census. Morehead City celebrated the 150th anniversary of its founding on May 5, 2007. It forms part of the Crystal Coast.
Hist ...
, graduating in 2006. He was drafted by the
Pittsburgh Pirates in the 11th round of the
2006 Major League Baseball Draft but chose to attend the
University of South Carolina. Chisenhall played for the
South Carolina Gamecocks baseball team in his freshman year, but was dismissed from the team after being charged with breaking into a dorm room and stealing electronic equipment. He then transferred to
Pitt Community College.
Professional career
Cleveland Indians
The
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...
chose Chisenhall with the 29th overall pick in the
2008 MLB draft
The 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft continued Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, and was held on June 5 and 6, 2008.
First round selections
;Key
Supplemental first rou ...
. He played 68 games in 2008 for the Indians Class A Short Season Affiliate the
Mahoning Valley Scrappers
The Mahoning Valley Scrappers are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Niles, Ohio, a city in the valley of the Mahoning River, and play their home games at Eastwood Field. From 1999 to 2020, they were ...
posting a .290 AVG with 5 HR and 45 RBI. In 2009 and 2010, he played with the AA
Akron Aeros
The Akron RubberDucks are a Minor League Baseball team based in Akron, Ohio. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They play in Canal Park, located in downtown Akron, which seats 7,630 ...
.
On June 27, 2011, Chisenhall was promoted from the
Class AAA
Triple-A (officially Class AAA) has been the highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946. Currently, two leagues operate at the Triple-A level, the International League (IL) and the Pacific Coast League (PCL). ...
Columbus Clippers, and went 2-for-4 in his major league debut against the
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...
.
On July 6, 2011 Chisenhall hit his first major league home run off of
Boone Logan
Boone Logan (born August 13, 1984) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox, Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, Colorado Rockies, Cleveland Indians, and Milwau ...
of the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...
. On July 7, 2011, Chisenhall was hit with a fastball thrown by
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
pitcher
Carlos Villanueva and had to leave the game with facial contusions.
In 2012, he finished with a .260 batting average, 12 home runs, and 38 runs batted in. On May 13, 2013, Chisenhall was sent down to the
Class AAA
Triple-A (officially Class AAA) has been the highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946. Currently, two leagues operate at the Triple-A level, the International League (IL) and the Pacific Coast League (PCL). ...
Columbus Clippers. He was recalled on May 18. On June 9, 2014, Chisenhall became the first player in MLB history to have 5 hits, 3 home runs, and 9 RBI in 5 plate appearances. He is no longer the only such player. On June 6, 2017,
Scooter Gennett
Ryan Joseph "Scooter" Gennett (born May 1, 1990) is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He previously played for the Milwaukee Brewers, Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants. On June 6, 2017, he became the 17th player ...
had a better performance with 5 hits, 4 home runs, and 10 RBI in 5 plate appearances.
In 2015, Chisenhall started out as the Indians everyday third baseman. On June 10, after poor offensive output, Lonnie was again optioned to Cleveland's Class AAA
Columbus Clippers.
Giovanny Urshela was called on to play third base for the Indians. While in Columbus, Chisenhall transitioned to right field. On July 29, Chisenhall was recalled to the Indians roster. Called on as a full-time right fielder, his transition was deemed a success by many.
In Game 2 of the
2017 American League Division Series
The 2017 American League Division Series were two best-of-five-games series held to determine the participating teams in the 2017 American League Championship Series. The three divisional winners (seeded 1-3) and a fourth team—the winner of a ...
, with the Indians down 8-3 in the 6th inning with two outs and runners on 2nd and 3rd against the
Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...
and the count 0-2 on Chisenhall, Yankees reliever
Chad Green threw an inside pitch that grazed the bottom of Chisenhall's bat. The home plate umpire called it a
hit by pitch, awarding Chisenhall 1st base and bringing up Indians slugger
Francisco Lindor
Francisco Miguel Lindor Serrano (born November 14, 1993), nicknamed "Paquito" and "Mr. Smile", is a Puerto Rican professional baseball shortstop for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Cleveland Indian ...
with the bases loaded. Replay showed that the ball did not actually hit Chisenhall, but Yankees manager
Joe Girardi
Joseph Elliott Girardi (born October 14, 1964) is an American former professional baseball player and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). Girardi played the catcher position for the Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, New York Yankees, and S ...
decided not to challenge the call. On the second pitch he saw, Lindor hit a
grand slam
Grand Slam most often refers to:
* Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves
Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to:
Games and sports
* Grand slam, winning category te ...
to right field, bringing the Indians within a run. The Indians would go on to tie the game in the 8th and walk off in the 13th. He began the 2018 season on the disabled list and was activated on June 5, 2018. He was placed back on the disabled list less than a month later. Chisenhall became a free agent following the 2018 season.
Pittsburgh Pirates
On November 27, 2018, Chisenhall signed a one-year contract with the
Pittsburgh Pirates worth $2.75 million. He was placed on the injured list at the end of Spring training after sustaining an injury to his finger. He never played a game for the Pirates.
On February 21, 2020, Chisenhall announced his retirement from professional baseball.
Personal life
Chisenhall and his wife, Meredith, have two sons and one daughter.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chisenhall, Lonnie
1988 births
Living people
Baseball players from North Carolina
Major League Baseball third basemen
Cleveland Indians players
Pitt Bulldogs baseball players
South Carolina Gamecocks baseball players
Mahoning Valley Scrappers players
Kinston Indians players
Akron Aeros players
Columbus Clippers players
People from Morehead City, North Carolina
Indianapolis Indians players
Akron RubberDucks players