Bobby Sprowl

From SoSH

Contents 1 Overall Career 2 Sprowl's Moments in the Sun 3 Trivia 4 Transactions 5 External Links

Overall Career

Sprowl's Moments in the Sun

Bobby Sprowl may be best known for his start on September 10, 1978 and the aftermath the following Spring.

It was the 4th game of the infamous Boston Massacre. The Red Sox had lost the first three games and been outscored in those games by a combined score of 35-5. Sox skipper Don Zimmer elected to start rookie southpaw Bobby Sprowl instead of Bill Lee, who was in a feud with the gerbil. Sprowl, who Zimmer said "had ice water in his veins" was a September call-up that year and had been drafted only the previous year in the second round out of the University of Alabama.

In one previous start (September 5th) he threw 7 innings of 5-hit ball surrendering 3 earned runs in an eventual 4-1 loss to the Orioles. The start against the Yankees was his second as a major leaguer.

To start off the ill-fated game, he walked Mickey Rivers (who promptly stole second) and then walked Thurmon Munson. This set up a 6-4-3 double play ball by the third batter, Willie Randolph and it looked like the rookie might get out of the inning unscathed. The next batter however was Reggie Jackson who singled Rivers home. Sprowl, perhaps feeing the pressure of the situation, promptly walked the next two batters (Lou Pinella and Chris Chambliss). With the bases loaded Don Zimmer replaced Sprowl with Bob Stanley who gave up a two-run single to Graig Nettles before forcing Roy White to ground out.

Sprowl's line for the game was 2/3IP 1H 3R 3ER 4 BB. He pitched in only one more game for the Sox that year when he threw 5 innings in Detroit for a no-decision in a Sox win over the Tigers.

In spring training 1979,Sprowl was wild when he threw batting practice and was verbally abused by some of the "25 Guys, 25 Cabs" players. Four weeks later, Sprowl was so far gone (think Rick Ankiel-gone) that he nearly threw a pitch into the press box in Daytona Beach.

On June 19, 1979 Sprowl was sent by the Boston Red Sox to the Houston Astros to complete an earlier deal made on June 13, 1979. The Boston Red Sox sent a player to be named later, Pete Ladd, and cash to the Houston Astros for Bob Watson and they sent Bobby Sprowl to the Astros to complete the trade.

Trivia

Sprowl is currently the Men's Baseball coach at Shelton State Community College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Sprowl is the father of Jon-Mark Sprowl a former minor-league corner infield prospect drafted by the Cubs out of a Florida high school in 1998's 47th round. He signed as a draft-and-follow in 1999 after spending a year at Shelton State CC. with his dad. Chicago traded him to Arizona for future considerations in March 2002 and he eventually ended up with the Yankees organization including making a couple of Spring Training appearances in 2004 and 2005.

Transactions

External Links

• Baseball-Reference.com - Career Statistics and Analysis