Jerry Dybzinski
Shortstop
Born: (1955-07-07) July 7, 1955
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 11, 1980, for the Cleveland Indians
Last MLB appearance
May 1, 1985, for the Pittsburgh Pirates
MLB statistics
Batting average.234
Home runs3
Runs batted in93
Teams

Jerome Matthew "Jerry" Dybzinski (born July 7, 1955) is an American former professional baseball shortstop. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, and Pittsburgh Pirates.

Career

Dybzinski attended Collinwood High School.[1] He attended Cleveland State University from 1974 to 1977, becoming the first of four Cleveland State alumni to play in the major leagues.[2] He was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 15th round of the 1977 amateur draft on June 7, 1977.[3] He spent a few years in the minor leagues, playing for the Batavia Muckdogs in 1977, the Waterloo Indians in 1978, and the Tacoma Tugs in 1979.[3] Dybzinski had 25 stolen bases each in 1978 and 1979, leading all Waterloo players and finishing second to Dell Alston in Tacoma.[3]

The Indians brought him up to the majors at the start of the 1980 season. He spent the season mostly at shortstop, serving as Tom Veryzer's backup, but also spent time at second and third base in the 114 games he played during the 1980 Cleveland Indians season.[3] In 1981, Dybzinski played only 48 games for the Indians that season.[3] He played one more season for the Indians, then on April 1, 1983, Dybzinski was traded to the Chicago White Sox for Pat Tabler.[4]

The 1983 Chicago White Sox season wound up being the best season statistically for Dybzinski. He played 127 games as the starting shortstop, stealing 11 bases over the course of the season.[3] He made two critical mistakes that thwarted a potential White Sox scoring rally in the seventh inning of the deciding Game 4 of the American League Championship Series. With the match scoreless and Greg Walker and Vance Law at second and first base respectively after each had singled, Dybzinski's unsuccessful sacrifice bunt resulted in Baltimore Orioles catcher Rick Dempsey throwing to third to force out Walker. When the next batter Julio Cruz singled, Dybzinski overran second, realized that Law stopped at third because Todd Cruz had cut off Gary Roenicke's throw from left field and got caught in a rundown. Instead of tagging Dybzinski, second baseman Rich Dauer threw out Law who attempted to score during the rundown.[5][6] "I felt like a beached whale," Dybzinski said about his baserunning gaffe.[7]

He served as the backup to Scott Fletcher in 1984, and was released from the Chicago White Sox on April 1, 1985.[8] He signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 11, and was released at the end of the season. He signed as a free agent with the Seattle Mariners in January 1986,[9] but was released before the season began, ending his major league career.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Fortuna, Bob (May 22, 2013). "Whatever happened to former Collinwood baseball standout Jerry Dybzinski?". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Players who Played for Cleveland State University". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 2007-12-17. Retrieved 2008-01-27.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Jerry Dybzinski Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2008-01-27.
  4. ↑ Dybzinski traded to White Sox
  5. ↑ Chass, Murray. "Orioles and Phillies Win; Will Play in World Series," The New York Times, Sunday, October 9, 1983. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  6. ↑ "The Ballplayers - Jerry Dybzinski". baseballbiography.com. Retrieved 2008-01-29.
  7. ↑ Boswell, Thomas. "Dybzinski 'Felt Like A Beached Whale,'" The Washington Post, Sunday, October 9, 1983. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  8. ↑ White Sox release infielder Dybzinski
  9. ↑ Ladd signs pact with Seattle
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