“That was for Duane Kuiper.”
From Joe Posnanski:
So then I asked if he had ever asked a pitcher to retaliate for him. He said he never did, but, well, there was the Jim Bibby story. Details are hard to lock down but the story is too good to hold back: The Indians were playing the Twins, and at some point Rod Carew slashed Kuiper in a double play scenario at some point during the series. Duane was furious. He told Carew, “I’m going to come down the line and slash your achilles.” Jim Bibby calmed him down.
“Don’t worry,” Bibby said. “I’ll get him for you.”
Kuiper said, “OK, fine, you get him.” Only, Bibby did not get him. He got pulled before he had a chance to get him. If it’s the game I’m thinking, in 1977, Bibby lasted just five innings and Carew actually homered of him. Anyway, the point is Bibby didn’t get Carew that day for whatever reason, and unexpectedly that was the last time he ever faced Carew in a big league game. Bibby left Cleveland for Pittsburgh at the end of the season. So the story should be over. Kuiper basically forgot about it.
Only… one day, the Indians are facing Carew’s team, probably the Angels by then, and Carew comes over to Kuiper and says, “You little $&#$@$ …”
“What did I do?” Kuiper said.
And Carew said that he was playing an exhibition game in Japan. He stepped in against, yep, Jim Bibby. And suddenly he felt the jolt of a fastball pounding his side … this in an EXHIBITION GAME IN JAPAN.
And he said Jim Bibby flexed and said: “That was for Duane Kuiper.
Awesome.
Source: joeposnanski.si.com
