Galen Cisco

Galen Bernard Cisco (born March 7, 1936) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He was a pitcher in Major League Baseball for three different teams between 1961 and 1969. Listed at tall and , Cisco batted and threw right-handed. He was signed by the Boston Red Sox in 1958 out of Ohio State University.

A two-sport star, Cisco earned All-American and All-Big Ten honors and was a captain on the 1957 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, which won the national championship with a 9–1 record, playing both fullback and linebacker. As a pitcher for the Buckeyes, he compiled a career record of 12–2.

Playing career A curveball specialist, Cisco entered the Majors in with the Boston Red Sox, playing a little over a season for them before the New York Mets acquired him via waivers on September 6, 1962. The 1962 Mets ended up with a record of 40–120, a record for most losses by a Major League Baseball team in a single season until 2024. Cisco, however, posted a .500 record (1–1) in his four late-season appearances for them, including a complete game, 4–1 victory over the Chicago Cubs at the Polo Grounds on September 21. Cisco was a member of the cellar-dwelling Mets for the full seasons of 1963 through 1965, going 18–43 overall with a 4.04 earned run average in 126 games.

He returned to the Red Sox for part of the 1967 season, and was then acquired by the expansion Kansas City Royals, where he finished his active MLB career in 1969. In a seven-season career, he posted a 25–56 record with a 4.56 ERA in 192 appearances, including 78 starts, nine complete games, three shutouts, two saves, and a 1.16 strikeout-to-walk ratio (325-to-281).

Coaching career Following his playing retirement, Cisco became a pitching coach for the Royals, Montreal Expos, San Diego Padres, Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies, serving for all or parts of 28 years. He spent six seasons with the Blue Jays (1990–1995), helping his team to win three consecutive American League East Division titles (1991–93) and two World Series (1992–93). Under his guidance, Paul Byrd, Robert Person and Randy Wolf developed as starters with the Phillies (1997–2000).

Personal life As of 2025, Cisco resides in Celina, Ohio.