A Conversation With Former Braves Pitcher Charlie Leibrandt

Pitched For 1985 World Series Winners Kansas City Royals

  • Friday, January 30, 2015
  • Tim Evearitt

A tall left-hander pitcher, Charlie Leibrandt played for four teams in his Major League career: Cincinnati (1979-1982), Kansas City (1984-1989, Atlanta (1990-1992) and Texas (1993). He finished his career with a record 140-119 and an earned run average of 3.71; he had 1,121 strikeouts.

 

In 1993, despite six straight road wins (which no subsequent Texas Rangers pitcher matched until 2009, when it was surpassed by Scott Feldman), he ended with a season record of 9-10 record with a 4.55 ERA, and subsequently retired.

In 1984, Leibrandt and the Royals faced elimination in the best-of-five American League Championship Series against the Detroit Tigers.

Leibrandt threw a complete game three-hitter only to lose, 1-0, on a fielder's choice in the second inning.

In the 1985 ALCS, the Toronto Blue Jays beat Leibrandt badly in Game 1 but he turned in an effective pitching performance in Game 4. However, he lost when, leading 1-0 in the ninth, he walked Dámaso García, who scored on Lloyd Moseby's double. Responsible for Moseby, Leibrandt watched as the Blue Jays scored twice off reliever Dan Quisenberry and got tagged with the loss. He redeemed himself, however, coming out of the bullpen to replace the injured Bret Saberhagen in Game 7 and picking up the win that sent the Royals to the World Series.

 

In the 1985 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, Leibrandt again pitched masterfully for eight innings and entered the ninth inning of Game 2 leading a two-hitter, 2-0. It all fell apart again for Leibrandt, though, as Willie McGee doubled to right. With two outs and McGee on second, three Cardinal hits, the last by future Braves teammate Terry Pendleton, scored four runs and saddled Leibrandt with another loss. Five nights later in Game 6, Leibrandt entered the ninth inning trailing 1-0 despite only allowing three hits. However, this time it was the Royals who rallied and won the game 2-1 on a one-out bases-loaded bloop single by pinch-hitter Dane Iorg. In Game 7 the following night, Kansas City blew the Cardinals out, 11-0, to win their only World Series to date.

 

The championship series against the Cardinals was forever remembered by umpires' blown calls in Game Six: one that cost the Royals a run in the 4th, and a "blown call" by umpire Don Denkinger that allowed Jorge Orta to reach first.  

The team was managed by Dick Howser in his fourth and final full season with the Royals.

Leibrandt was asked what it like to be a member of the 1985 World Champion Kansas City Royals.

 

“Obviously it was very exciting. It's been a long time. I just did a 30th year fantasy camp with those guys. It was cool. There were 17 of them out in Arizona and I hadn't seen 10-12 of them in 25 years.”

 

Leibrandt acknowledged, with regret, the passing of reliever Dan Quisenberry and manager  Dick Howser.

 

“George Brett was the obvious leader of that team and he had a number of big, big hits to push us further. It was very exciting.”

 

When asked about his feelings about seeing the Royals in the 2014 World Series, he had this to say, “I was pulling for them. I took my family out there for games one and two. It was exciting. They hadn't done anything in 30 years. They've had very few winning teams in those years, so I was happy for them.”

 

Leibrandt came to the Braves at the tail end of their long winter of losing seasons. “hen I got traded over I thought this was really going to be work. They were a last place team but they had some good young prospects – Smoltz, Glavine, Steve Avery and a couple key free agents and they started winning and they've winning every since. Somewhere in there Bobby (Cox) took over as manager. We didn't finish that season (1990) too great, did ok, but did some things over the winter – signed a couple free agents, including Sid Bream and Deion Sanders.

 

In 1991, the Atlanta Braves became the first team in the National League to go from last place one year to first place the next.

 

Since retiring Leibrandt, who lives in the Atlanta area, has spent some time assisting the Braves in Spring Training and coaching high school baseball for 18 years. He has a son who plays professional baseball.

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