Quick hit: Bob Sebra’s career ended on a hit by pitch
Posted by Andy on June 24, 2011
Via The Greatest 21 Days, here's some interesting information on the career of Bob Sebra.
In Sebra's final major league game, he was ejected for intentionally hitting Tracy Jones in the 8th inning. After the game, the Brewers sent Sebra to the minors. He received a suspension to be served when he returned to the majors, but he never did make it back.
That means his major league pitching career ended with a hit-by-pitch.
Does anybody know of any other pitchers to have their careers end with a hit-by-ptich?
June 24th, 2011 at 10:51 am
That's a good question, and I don't know the answer. But it made me think immediately of Adam Greenberg, whose entire career as a batter began and ended with a HBP. Very sad story: beaned in his first plate appearance and never got another chance at the majors.
June 24th, 2011 at 10:53 am
Well, somebody's got to mention Ray Chapman at this point.
June 24th, 2011 at 11:38 am
Adam Greenberg had only one major league plate appearance for the Cubs in 2005; it was a HBP. He got hurt and never made it back to the major leagues.
June 24th, 2011 at 11:41 am
Not what you're looking for but any story having to do with a Hit By Pitch makes me think first of Dickie Thon
June 24th, 2011 at 11:49 am
Yeah, but none of those guys are pitchers. What pitchers' careers have ended on a HBP?
June 24th, 2011 at 11:54 am
Except for his amazing recovery, Tony Conigliaro's career could have ended with a HBP.
June 24th, 2011 at 11:55 am
He was not a pitcher but Mickey Cochrane's career ended with a HBP.
June 24th, 2011 at 12:30 pm
I recall in the post game interview, Serba emphatically said he pitched to hit him and showed no remorse, thus the demotion. Uecker went off on him on the next day's broadcast for admitting, basically, "Yeah, I hit him. Jealous?"
I was 12 years old at the time, so these recollections may be fuzzy.
June 24th, 2011 at 12:48 pm
Greg Mullins
Domingo Guzman (2 hbp that game)
Elizardo Ramirez
Joe Hoerner
Radhames Liz (2 HBPs that game)
Amalio Carreno
Sure there are must be much more
Two not on the list
One faced 8 batters and gave up 7 hits and an HBP
Another gave up an inside the park grand slam HR to finish out.
June 24th, 2011 at 1:09 pm
Frank Viola
Dale Mohorcic
Dave Dravecky
David Clyde
Rick Mahler
Among others
June 24th, 2011 at 1:15 pm
Actually Dravecky's career ended on a wild pitch after the HBP, but the HBP would have been the official last batter he faced.
June 24th, 2011 at 1:17 pm
Yeah, that was one hell of a wild pitch Dravecky threw. I seem to recall that it landed closer to first base than home plate. Very sad.
June 24th, 2011 at 1:21 pm
Going back to batters whose careers ended on a HBP, nobody has mentioned Kirby Puckett yet....
June 24th, 2011 at 1:26 pm
Some tidbits:
Brad Havens plunked the last batter he ever faced for a walk-off loss on 7/23/1989 (as did Heath Murray on 7/21/2002).
Gene Garber intentionally walked the last batter he faced, so did Dick Pole and Rich Garces.
Steve Mingori and Tony Cloninger gave up walk-off HRs to their last batters.
Dave Campbell gave up a walk-off 2-run HR to his last batter (10/1/1978).
Randy Myers gave up a walk-off 3-run HR to his last batter (9/25/1998).
Nolan Ryan gave up a grand slam to his last batter; Gorman Heimueller's last batter faced (7/4/1984) hit a walk-off grand slam (to Jim Rice).
June 24th, 2011 at 2:06 pm
@ Charles - The 8 batters with 7 hits and a HPB has to be Bob Kammeyer,
June 24th, 2011 at 2:20 pm
"Nolan Ryan gave up a grand slam to his last batter"
So did Bob Gibson.
June 24th, 2011 at 2:34 pm
Inside the park GS
June 24th, 2011 at 2:49 pm
Another odd ending to go with #14: Jesse Orosco's career ended on a third-strike WP that brought the winning run home.
June 24th, 2011 at 3:03 pm
Andy,
funny that you post this on the 23rd of June, 96 years to the day later that Babe Ruth was ejected after walking the first batter, then relieved by Ernie Shore who pitched a semi-perfect game. The BB by Ruth was caught stealing, and Shore set down the next 26 to face him.
The next year Ruth became more of a hitter, leading the league in HRs.
But what i didn't know, was Ruth actually struck the Ump and had to be removed by the police.
I don't think that one incident lead to Ruth becoming a hitter and it certainly was not his last pitching performance, just a col coincidence that you chose this topic on the anniversary of that unique event.
June 24th, 2011 at 3:05 pm
Actually, Bob Gibson's career ended on a 3-1 putout against Don Kessinger.
June 24th, 2011 at 3:17 pm
Abbott, #14: Randy Myers gave up a walk-off 3-run HR to his last batter (9/25/1998).
That's how Myers' regular-season career ended, but in his final appearance on October 21 he got Paul O'Neill on a line drive to second for the last Yankee out of the 1998 World Series.
Oooh, was Myers ever ineffective as a Padre.
June 24th, 2011 at 3:19 pm
@19
That Babe Ruth game took place on 6/23/1917. Ruth's punishment was a $100 fine, a 10 day suspension and a public apology. I wonder what it would be today.
June 24th, 2011 at 3:39 pm
Complete list of games that ended on a balk, 1954-2008. The 7/10/86 game was the last in Todd Fischer's career.
June 24th, 2011 at 3:48 pm
I noticed somthing unusual about the pitcher who gave up the inside the park GS homer. His ERA his last season was identical to his SO per innings pitched and his ERA+ was #2 that year for retirees.
June 24th, 2011 at 3:59 pm
And who can forget 8/1/1971 when Willie Crawford won the game with a walk-off catcher's interference. The catcher? Johnny Bench.
June 24th, 2011 at 4:48 pm
"Actually, Bob Gibson's career ended on a 3-1 putout against Don Kessinger."
OK, so it was his second to last batter, sue me.
Gibson must have forgotten the last out.
Gibson allowed a grand slam to Pete LaCock and never faced him again.
Ten years later in an old-timers game, they meet up again and Gibson drilled him.
Bob Costas told that story on MLBNetwork during an interview with Gibson, who confirmed the story.
June 24th, 2011 at 4:56 pm
Wasn't trying to be picky, Chuck. It's just that Gibson didn't show up in my list and I was trying to figure out why.
When I was a kid my brother and I used to play baseball using baseball cards as the bats and pieces of tin foil as the ball. You'd arrange your fielders on the floor and if the foil ball hit one, the batter was out. One day I was batting and a huge beetle was sitting on Pete LaCock. I was always afraid of Pete LaCock after that.
June 24th, 2011 at 5:37 pm
On a different note, maybe the most unussuall last at bat of a career has to be Joe Pignatano hitting into a triple play!
June 24th, 2011 at 6:14 pm
and Pignatano WOULD do it as a member of the infamous '62 Mets. Richie Ashburn's last at-bat was right ahead of Joe's, a single.
June 24th, 2011 at 6:38 pm
Pignatano, of the 1962 Mets, hits a deep fly ball to the second baseman, Ken Hubbs for Chicago. Last game of the season. Casey Stengel gathered his players in the locker room and reportedly said this, "Fellers, don't feel bad about this. It's been a team effort all the way."
June 24th, 2011 at 6:43 pm
Well, since we've drifted off-topic anyway (not that there's anything wrong with that), how about Larry Yount, Robin's brother? Brought up to Houston in September 1971 and called on to pitch in the 9th inning on September 15th, he injured himself warming up, was sent down and never made it back up.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/HOU/HOU197109150.shtml
So his career ended without throwing a pitch.
June 24th, 2011 at 8:14 pm
It didn't happen a game but Harlond Clift's career ended when he was in the head in batting practice.
June 24th, 2011 at 8:15 pm
To switch things around a bit, Mike Mussina's final game was his 20th win in 2008, his only 20-win season in a 270 win career. To hit this mark, Mussina actually compiled wins in each of the last 3 games of his career.
June 24th, 2011 at 8:26 pm
@31
Make that "hit in the head".
June 24th, 2011 at 8:46 pm
Rex Hudler's final AB as a pro was in the minors for Buffalo. He got beaned in the neck just behind his ear on a pitch from Scott Ruffcorn. Hudler later said it was the first time in his career that he had been beaned. I was there to witness it!
June 24th, 2011 at 9:29 pm
@14
Nolan Ryan did not give up a grand slam to his last batter.
After the grand slam hit by Dann Howitt, Ryan faced Dave Magadan. Steve Dreyer came in to relieve Ryan, but Ryan was credited for the walk. I am not sure how many pitches Ryan threw to Magadan, but I know it was enough for him to get credit for the base on balls.
Here is the box score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SEA/SEA199309220.shtml
My friends and I used to joke that Ryan literally pitched until he could not get a single person out. Four walks, two hits, 5 earned runs in 0 innings pitched in his last game. This was not meant to disparage his pitching abilities, just as a comment at how long his career was.
June 24th, 2011 at 9:49 pm
Harlond Clift played two more years in the minors batting over 0.300 both times.
Jeff Juden ended his MLB pitching career giving up a bases loaded grand slam.
June 24th, 2011 at 9:49 pm
Jeff Juden gave up an inside the park grand slam.
June 24th, 2011 at 11:20 pm
Back when Bob Sebra was pitching, I used to confuse him with another guy who was active at that time, Jamie Moyer. While one was a lefty and the other was righthanded, and what is likely to have been Moyer's last game was 20 years and 20 days after Sebra's last one, they did have some trivial stuff in common.
Both were from the Philadelphia area originally. For years, I knew that one of them was married to Digger Phelps' daughter, but I could never remember which one until Jamie Moyer (Phelps' son-in-law) became even more prominent late in his career. Of course, both eventually played for the Phillies, but Moyer's arrival with his hometown team came a lot later than Sebra's.
Sebra is only about a year older than Moyer.
Sebra's background showed no history of playing anywhere near Chicago - high school, college (University of Nebraska), minor leagues, or majors with the Cubs or White Sox - but his off-season home during his playing days was shown as some place in Chicagoland. I'm guessing that his wife was from there, but he met her some other place.
Sebra began his career with the Rangers but was traded to Montreal in the Pete Incaviglia deal.
June 25th, 2011 at 12:07 am
If Sebra were to attempt a comeback, would he still be suspended?
June 25th, 2011 at 2:45 am
Oneblankspace, I would think yes. It had to be an impediment to his returning to the majors, since the team that would do so knew they'd have to give him a roster spot and then suck it up for a bit while he was suspended...all for a marginal relief guy.
June 25th, 2011 at 10:01 am
@27
"One day I was batting and a huge beetle was sitting on Pete LaCock. I was always afraid of Pete LaCock after that."
I think Freud would have a lot to say about that one.
June 25th, 2011 at 10:09 am
Thanks Morten. I had a similar thought but couldn't think how to comment without getting too vulgar. You handled it nicely. 🙂
June 25th, 2011 at 11:25 am
Carl Mays pitched some 1400 innings or so after his pitch killed Ray Chapman, a period which included a couple of the best years of his career.
I don't remember Mike Torrez saying anything about this, but his pitching went precipitously downhill after hitting Dickie Thon and he was out of the majors within months. The Mets had some young pitchers waiting to take his place so perhaps it was just a coincidence.
If his decline was because of Thon, that's another reason I like Mike Torrez, baseball's answer to Job. One year after he won a World Series a guy hits a popfly homer off him and all of a sudden he's a bum forever. How human.
June 25th, 2011 at 11:29 am
@42, did you know that Pete LaCock was a Jr., and that Pete LaCock Sr. was a game show host.--I think Hollywood Squares was the show
Sr.'s TV name was Peter Marshall and he often had ballplayers sit in on his game shows panels. Other times, they would be actual contestants.
Both Sr. and Jr. were good at their jobs.
June 25th, 2011 at 11:48 am
@44
Carl Mays was a nasty uncaring man. Read about him in Wikipedia.
June 25th, 2011 at 12:20 pm
"Wasn't trying to be picky, Chuck."
No worries, Abbott.