Rob Dibble
Pitcher
Born: January 24, 1964 (1964-01-24) (age 43)
Batted: Left
Threw: Right
MLB debut
June 29, 1988
for the Cincinnati Reds
Final game
September 30, 1995
for the Milwaukee Brewers
Career statistics
Record
27-25
ERA
2.98
Saves
89
Teams
Career highlights and awards
Robert Keith Dibble (born January 24, 1964 in Bridgeport, Connecticut) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. A promising young pitcher with a blazing fastball that often exceeded 99 MPH, he was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the first round of the 1983 amateur draft, and made his debut with the Reds on June 29, 1988.
On June 4, 1989, Dibble struck out three batters on nine pitches in the eighth inning of a 5-3 win over the San Diego Padres. Dibble became the 14th National League pitcher and the 22nd pitcher in Major League history to accomplish the nine-strike/three-strikeout half-inning.
He also pitched for the Chicago White Sox and Milwaukee Brewers (both in 1995). He was an MLB All-Star in 1990 and 1991, and was the 1990 NLCS Most Valuable Player (along with Randy Myers). He required surgery to his pitching arm in 1994, and missed the entire season as a result. Dibble signed with the Chicago Cubs prior to the 1995 season, but didn't appear in a game. He signed with the Florida Marlins for the 1996 season, but missed the entire year due to injury, and retired soon after.
During his career Dibble often caused a great deal of problems for his teams. After one game he threw a baseball into the outfield seats at Cincinnati and struck a woman in the stands, fracturing her forearm. He was also involved in a brawl in 1991 with Astros shortstop Eric Yelding. That same season he was caught attempting to throw a baseball into the back of Cubs outfielder Doug Dascenzo as he ran down the first base line. Finally, Dibble was involved in a nasty locker room brawl with Reds manager Lou Piniella after a game. During the fight Lou Piniella said to Dibble, "You don't want to be treated like a man!"
In 1998, Dibble joined ESPN as a baseball analyst, working mostly on the radio show hosted by Dan Patrick. As of 2005, Dibble is working on The Best Damn Sports Show Period as a co-host. Dibble, once called a "Nasty Boy" along with other Reds relief pitchers Randy Myers and Norm Charlton, also spends time as a co-host/analyst of The Show on XM Radio. The Show, with co-host Kevin Kennedy, is a Monday-Friday 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (Eastern time) baseball show (on XM Channel 175) that discusses current events in the sport.
