Jim Bibby | |||
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Pitcher | |||
Born: Franklinton, North Carolina |
October 29, 1944|||
Died: February 16, 2010 Lynchburg, Virginia |
(aged 65)|||
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MLB debut | |||
September 4, 1972, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |||
Last MLB appearance | |||
May 26, 1984, for the Texas Rangers | |||
MLB statistics | |||
Win–loss record | 111–101 | ||
Earned run average | 3.76 | ||
Strikeouts | 1,079 | ||
Teams | |||
Career highlights and awards | |||
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James Blair Bibby (October 29, 1944 – February 16, 2010) was an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. During a 12-year baseball career, he pitched from 1972 to 1984 with the St. Louis Cardinals, Texas Rangers, Cleveland Indians, and Pittsburgh Pirates, with whom he was a member of its 1979 World Series Champions. He pitched a no-hitter against a team in the midst of a three-year dynasty. Also, in 1981, as a member of the Pirates, he missed out on a perfect game by just one hit, allowing a lead off single, before retiring the next 27 batters he faced.
Bibby attended Fayetteville State University on a basketball scholarship, and also pitched for its varsity baseball team. His professional career began when he was signed by the New York Mets as an undrafted free agent after his junior year on July 19, 1965. With Fayetteville State having discontinued its baseball program in the late-1970s, he was the only player from the university to reach the major leagues.
After appearing in thirteen games and posting a 2–3 record with an 11.25 earned run average (ERA) with the Marion Mets in 1965, he spent the next two years on active duty with the United States Army as a truck driver in Vietnam. On his return to baseball, he moved up the organization's minor league system, first with the Raleigh-Durham Mets in 1968 before splitting time with the Memphis Blues and Tidewater Tides in 1969. His progress was interrupted again in 1970 when a back injury which required a spinal fusion of the first and second vertebrae sidelined him for the entire season and put his career in doubt. He rebounded in 1971 by having his best campaign in the minors as he led all Tides pitchers with a 15–6 mark.