It was one of baseball’s most improbable stories, Chris Coste finally made it to the major leagues in 2006 as a 33 year old rookie, after a decade in the minor leagues. His first four years were spent in playing for his hometown Fargo Moorhead Red Hawks in the independent Northern League. The Cleveland Indians then signed Coste in 2000 where he made his affiliated debut with the Double-A Akron Aeros. From there Coste played parts of the next six seasons in Triple-A with stints playing for the Buffalo Bisons, Pawtucket Red Sox, Indianapolis Indians, and the Scranton Wilkes Barre Red Barons before making his big league debut with the Philadelphia Phillies. Coste’s big league career peaked when he was a key cog in the Phillies 2008 World Series championship. The accomplishment inspired the longtime catcher to write a book titled The 33-Year-Old Rookie: My 13-Year Journey from the Minor Leagues to the World Series. Coste’s final big league game would come in 2009 as a member of the Houston Astros. Following Tommy John surgery in 2010, he had hoped to return for one final run but came to find out that his 38 year old body just could not hold up. In the story, Coste talks about his new role as Associate Head Coach at Concordia College, his cult following in Philadelphia, and coming to terms that his playing career has reached its end.

ND’s Chris Coste retires from pro baseball — TheDickinsonPress.com