Fresh from coming over to the Rangers from the St. Louis Cardinals just under two months prior, Bibby faced the World Champion Oakland A’s at Oakland-Alameda County Stadium and proceeded to strike out 13 batters, though walking six, on his way to baseball history.
Relying on his fastball, Bibby outdueled Oakland’s ace Vida Blue, and even had Reggie Jackson state that in the ninth-inning, after striking out, “That’s the fastest ball I ever saw. Actually I didn’t see it. I just heard it”.
Bibby would go on to pitch well for the Rangers over the rest of the season, finishing up with a record of 9-10 for the hard-luck team, with an ERA at 3.24 with two shutouts over 23 starts.
He’d pitch through the 1984 season, ending up with a record of 111 and 101, winning 19 games twice (1974 and 1980), and being part of the 1979 World Champion “We Are Family” Pittsburgh Pirates team.
