Bobby Thigpen
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| Bobby Thigpen | ||
|---|---|---|
| Closer | ||
| Born: July 17, 1963 Tallahassee, Florida |
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| Batted: Right | Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | ||
| August 6, 1986 for the Chicago White Sox |
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| Final game | ||
| April 27, 1994 for the Seattle Mariners |
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| Career statistics | ||
| Win-Loss | 31-36 | |
| ERA | 3.43 | |
| Saves | 201 | |
| Teams | ||
| Career highlights and awards | ||
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Robert Thomas Thigpen (born July 17, 1963 in Tallahassee, Florida) is an American former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball noted for setting the major league (and American League) record of 57 saves during the 1990 season. He is currently the manager of the Bristol White Sox.
After two years at Seminole Community College, Thigpen moved on to pitch and play the outfield for Mississippi State University and Coach Ron Polk. Among his teammates were Will Clark, Rafael Palmeiro and Jeff Brantley. Thigpen was part of MSU's 1985 College World Series team, recording a .305 batting average and saving seven games during the season.
Thigpen was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the fourth round of the 1985 amateur draft. He made the major leagues the next August and moved into the White Sox' closer role. After two straight 30-save seasons, Thigpen had his famous 1990 season. Along with the 57 saves he had a 1.83 ERA. Thigpen also blew eight saves that year, including two three-run leads.
Thigpen then began to battle injuries, starting with a back problem developed after the 1990 season, when some players went on an exhibition tour of Japan. Thigpen's effectiveness waned and he was supplanted in the closer role by Roberto Hernandez.
During the 1993 season, Thigpen was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for Jose DeLeon, and pitched in the NLCS and World Series for Philadelphia. The following season, he signed with the Seattle Mariners, who released him on April 29. He caught on with the Daiei Hawks and attempted to return to the majors in 1996, only to be derailed by back problems.
Thigpen's 201 career saves rank him 36th on the all-time saves list.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
- 15-july 21-1963/ The Hardball Times' This Week in Annotated Baseball History discusses Thigpen's career
| Preceded by Jeff Russell |
American League Saves Champion 1990 |
Succeeded by Bryan Harvey |
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