Robert Bush Sebra (December 11, 1961 – July 22, 2020) was an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

, who played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the Texas Rangers,

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos () were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in the National League (baseball), National League ...

, Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds, and

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

from to .

Career

Sebra played prep baseball at Gloucester Catholic High School in New Jersey. He then attended the

University of Nebraska A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

, and in 1981 he played

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with the Wareham Gatemen of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over 1,000 forme ...

. He was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the fifth round of the 1983 Major League Baseball draft. Over the course of his big league career, Sebra pitched in 94 games, 52 of them as a starting pitcher. Included among Sebra's MLB highlights are 2 shutouts, a 1–0 and a 2–0, accomplished while with Montreal. On July 26, 1986, Sebra became the last pitcher ever to give up a walk-off win where the winning run was scored by the other team's manager. He hit Cincinnati Reds player/manager Pete Rose with a pitch, then issued a bases loaded walk to score Rose. Sebra was primarily a starting pitcher, but on July 28, 1989, he picked up his lone career save. He pitched a scoreless 17th inning to close out a 4–2 Reds victory over Atlanta. He was traded along with Ron Robinson from the Reds to the

for Glenn Braggs and Billy Bates on June 9, 1990. Sebra's final pitch in the majors ignited a major brawl between the Brewers and Mariners on June 30, 1990. He hit Tracey Jones, then later charged home plate to confront Jones. Sebra admitted he intended to hit Jones. Sebra received a 5-game suspension but had been sent down to the minors before receiving his punishment. Sebra pitched in Triple-A through the 1993 season. He then attempted a comeback with the Somerset Patriots of the Atlantic League in 1998.

Death

Sebra died at the age of 58 on July 22, 2020, after spending a year in intensive care at

Jackson Memorial Hospital Jackson Memorial Hospital, also referred to as Jackson or abbreviated MJMH, is a non-profit, tertiary care hospital, and the primary teaching hospital of the University of Miami's School of Medicine. As of 2021, it is the largest hospital in t ...

in Miami, Florida, as a result of multiple organ failure. He had undergone a liver transplant several years earlier.

References

External links

1961 births 2020 deaths American expatriate baseball players in Canada Cincinnati Reds players Deaths from multiple organ failure Denver Zephyrs players Gloucester Catholic High School alumni Indianapolis Indians players Iowa Cubs players Jackson Generals (Texas League) players Liver transplant recipients Louisville Redbirds players Major League Baseball pitchers Milwaukee Brewers players Montreal Expos players Nashville Sounds players Nebraska Cornhuskers baseball players Oklahoma City 89ers players Osceola Astros players Sportspeople from Ridgewood, New Jersey Baseball players from Bergen County, New Jersey Philadelphia Phillies players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons players Somerset Patriots players Texas Rangers players Tri-Cities Triplets players Tucson Toros players Tulsa Drillers players Wareham Gatemen players Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks players 20th-century American sportsmen {{US-baseball-pitcher-1960s-stub