| Bobby Thigpen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1963-07-17)July 17, 1963 (age 62) Tallahassee, Florida, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| Professional debut | |
| MLB: August 6, 1986, for the Chicago White Sox | |
| NPB: June 11, 1994, for the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks | |
| Last appearance | |
| MLB: April 27, 1994, for the Seattle Mariners | |
| NPB: June 17, 1995, for the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 31–36 |
| Earned run average | 3.43 |
| Strikeouts | 376 |
| Saves | 201 |
| NPB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 3–3 |
| Earned run average | 1.94 |
| Strikeouts | 31 |
| Saves | 20 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Robert Thomas Thigpen (born July 17, 1963) is an American formerrelief pitcher inMajor League Baseball. He is noted for setting the major league record of 57saves during the1990 season, which has since been broken by formerLos Angeles Angels of Anaheim pitcherFrancisco Rodríguez.[1] He is the former pitching coach of theWinston-Salem Dash. He is also the former bullpen coach for theChicago White Sox.
Thigpen was a three sport star at Aucilla Christian Academy nearMonticello, Florida. As a member of the baseball team he played for longtime Aucilla coach, Ray Hughes. A pitcher and shortstop in high school, he led the Warriors to the 1981 Class A state championship game.
He played two years atSeminole Community College, after which he moved on to pitch and play the outfield forMississippi State University and coachRon Polk. Among his teammates were future major-leaguersWill Clark,Rafael Palmeiro andJeff Brantley. Thigpen was part of MSU's 1985College World Series team, recording a .305 batting average and saving seven games during the season.
Thigpen was selected by theChicago White Sox in the fourth round of the1985 amateur draft. He made the major leagues the next August and moved into the White Sox's closer role. After two straight 30-save seasons, Thigpen had the best season of his career in 1990, setting the then-major league record of 57 saves (his record was eclipsed byFrancisco Rodríguez when he made 62 saves in 2008). He also maintained a 1.83 ERA and was named to the AL All-Star team. He also blew eight saves that season, including two three-run leads.
He later battled 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 byRoberto Hernández.
During the1993 season, Thigpen was traded to thePhiladelphia Phillies forJosé DeLeón, and pitched in theNLCS andWorld Series for Philadelphia. The following season, he signed with theSeattle Mariners in a minor league contract, who released him on April 29.[2] He joined theFukuoka Daiei Hawks and attempted to return to the majors in 1996, only to be derailed by back problems, which ended his career.
Thigpen's 201 career saves rank him 46th on the all-time saves list.
In 2003, Thigpen was leaving aStanley Cup playoff game at theSt. Pete Times Forum when he tripped and fell on the stairs, triggering massive internal bleeding. "He had about a gallon of blood in his abdomen", said Dr. Kevin Hirsch, a trauma surgeon atBayfront Medical Center who operated on Thigpen. "He had significant bleeding in and around his pancreas and kidney that we had to go in and stop."[3] Thigpen spent a week in the hospital and recovered.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) · Baseball Almanac| Preceded by | Chicago White Soxbullpen coach 2013–2016 | Succeeded by |