When shortstop Jerry Dybzinski joined the Pittsburgh Pirates, he couldn\u2019t have imagined he\u2019d become symbolic of 1985\u2019s steep decline. It was a year that saw Pirates president Dan Galbreath fire general manager Hardy Peterson and put the team up for sale.<\/p>\n
The Chicago White Sox of 1983 were the darlings of the baseball world. After years of futility, they were 99-63 under their 38-year-old manager, Tony La Russa. They comfortably won the American League West Division and would face the East Division champion Baltimore Orioles in the League Championship Series. The Orioles led the best-of-five series, two games to one. For the crucial Game 4 at Comiskey Park, La Russa penciled Dybzinski\u2019s name in the starting lineup for the first time in the series.<\/p>\n
With the game scoreless, the White Sox started the bottom of the seventh with two singles. Dybzinski, bunting with Orioles pitcher Tippy Martinez on the mound, forced the lead runner at third. Now with one out, Julio Cruz singled to left field. Dybzinski was certain that the runner on second base, Vance Law, would try to score.<\/p>\n
Dybzinski later explained to Bob Hertzel of The Pittsburgh Press<\/em>, \u201cI figured I would keep going for third to make sure they cut the throw to the plate off.\u201d However, Law held up at third. Dybzinski forgot to check Law and see whether he was indeed going to attempt to score. He and Law got caught in rundowns, with Law eventually being tagged out by the catcher. The White Sox didn\u2019t score. The Orioles won the game in 10 innings, 3-0, and went on to win the World Series. Dybzinski was the goat of the ALCS. The White Sox kept him around through the 1984 season, during which he served as a utility infielder, after which they released him.<\/p>\n Known as \u201cThe Dybber\u201d or \u201cEye Chart,\u201d Dybzinski was a right-handed-hitting shortstop, born and raised in Cleveland. He was a standout ballplayer at Cleveland State University. He lived a childhood dream when he started his major league career with the Cleveland Indians in 1980 before being traded to the White Sox in the spring of 1983. Before joining the Pirates, Dybzinski was a lifetime .235\/.294\/.292 hitter with 3 HR, 93 RBI, 62 OPS+, and 2.1 WAR. A classic good-field, no-hit shortstop was Dybzinski.<\/p>\n The 1984 Pirates had been a disaster. From 1977-83, Peterson and manager Chuck Tanner led Pirates teams that had been contenders and won a World Series in 1979<\/a>. They finished last in 1984, thanks to a series of disastrous personnel moves. Right fielder Dave Parker left after the 1983 season<\/a>. The Pirates tried to replace him with tall, lanky 25-year-old Canadian Doug Frobel. Unfortunately, being Canadian is all Frobel would become well-known for. In left field was Amos Otis, 37 and well past his prime, who didn\u2019t last the 1984 season. The Bucs could have had Rupert Jones. However, he was cut despite being one of their hottest hitters in spring training<\/a>.“The Dybber”<\/h3>\n
A Shortstop Problem<\/h3>\n
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