Remembering the Cincinnati Reds 'Nasty Boys' Bullpen
Celebrating the birthday of Norm Charlton brings back memories of the infamous World Series winning bullpen for an IBWAA co-director.
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Pregame Pepper
Did you know…
. . . There have been 20 teams to sweep a World Series. The 1991 Cincinnati Reds hold the distinction of the worst record by a team in the season following a World Series win by sweep. Only four teams of the 20 (1964 Los Angeles Dodgers, 1967 Baltimore Orioles, and 2013 San Francisco Giants the others) have even finished with a losing record the season after sweeping to a World Series win.
. . . It's much more common for a team that sweeps the World Series to be dominant in the following season, with 11 of the 20 winning 90 or more games. Five teams won the World Series in the following season - the 1908 Cubs, 1928 Yankees, 1939 Yankees, 1951 Yankees, and 1999 Yankees. The 1990 A's and 1923 Giants both returned to the World Series after a sweep victory, only to lose the following year. The A's have the distinction of sweeping in 1989 and then being swept by the Reds in 1990, the only team with that notoriety.
Leading Off
Remembering the 1990 Cincinnati Reds Nasty Boys Bullpen
By Benjamin Chase
In 1989, the Cincinnati Reds finished sixth in the National League West. The Pete Rose controversy engulfed the team, and Rose was relieved of his managerial duties midway through the season, giving way to former Reds All-Star second baseman Tommy Helms as manager for the rest of the season.
The Reds hired Lou Piniella, who had taken a year of reflection after a tumultuous tenure in his first managerial job with the Yankees, winning 90 and 89 games in his first two seasons, but falling victim to the whirlwind that was Yankee owner George Steinbrenner. Piniella would go on to win more than 1,800 games in his managerial career.
Bob Quinn Sr. was hired as Reds' General Manager in October of 1989 to reshape the roster, but he really did most of his work on the fringes.
Quinn's first step to overhaul the roster happened on Dec. 6, when the Reds traded John Franco, coming off three straight 30-save seasons, along with a minor leaguer for pitchers Randy Myers and Kip Gross. Roughly a week later, Tim Leary and Van Snider were jettisoned to the Yankees for a minor league pitcher and young first baseman Hal Morris.
As the season was about to begin, a pair of guys likely not going to make the roster, Jeff Richardson and Mike Roesler, were sent to Pittsburgh for outfielder Billy Hatcher.
The Reds would get an All-Star performance to start the season from Jack Armstrong, a steady performance from lefty Tom Browning as the steady staff leader, and a career-best showing from Jose Rijo to lead the rotation.
Mariano Duncan had a tremendous all-around season taking over as the primary second baseman and Chris Sabo had a bounceback season after a 1989 sophomore slump. Most importantly, the elite players on the team, future Hall of Famer Barry Larkin and tremendously talented Eric Davis, were healthy and performed through the season. Morris took over as the primary first baseman midway through the season and hit .340 over 107 games, finishing third in the Rookie of the Year voting.
All that said, the story of the 1990 World Series champion Cincinnati Reds was its bullpen, led by Myers, Norm Charlton, and Rob Dibble, affectionately known as "the Nasty Boys."
Randy Myers
The New York Mets took the lefty Myers with the ninth overall pick in the 1982 draft. He worked his way up to the majors in 1985 and spent 10 games with the 1986 World Series champion Met team. He would take a prime bullpen role the following season and had two dominant seasons under his belt as a closer when he came to the Reds.
He would save 31 games for the Reds in 1990, earning an All-Star berth, striking out 98 over 86 2/3 innings with a 2.08 ERA. He would go on to share the MVP award in the NLCS by saving three games against Pittsburgh before tossing three scoreless innings in the World Series sweep over Oakland.
The Reds attempted to transition Myers to the rotation in 1991, and it did not go well. After the season, he was traded to San Diego, beginning a oft-traveled back side of his career that saw him pitch for four clubs over seven seasons before retiring with 347 career saves, which ranks him 14th all-time. He appeared on just one Hall of Fame ballot, receiving 0.2% of the vote and falling off after one year.
Rob Dibble
Dibble was the most established member of the Nasty Boys, having pitched 158 1/3 innings of 1.99 ERA baseball over the previous two seasons in the Cincinnati bullpen. He would post a 1.74 ERA over 98 innings in 1990, striking out 136 and making the All-Star team. He shared the NLCS MVP with Myers, and in the postseason run in 1990, he pitched 9 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out 14.
Part of moving Myers to the rotation in 1991 included moving Dibble to the closer role. He would make the All-Star team and save 31 games while striking out 124 over 82 1/3 innings and follow up with another excellent season in 1992, saving 25 and striking out 110 over 70 1/3 innings. His arm simply gave out after that season, and he struggled to a 6.48 ERA in 1993 before missing the entire 1994 season. He attempted a comeback in 1995, but he walked 46 and struck out 26 with a 7.18 ERA between two teams. He would never pitch in professional baseball again.
Norm Charlton
Charlton was the third former first-round pick in the Nasty Boys trio, the 28th overall selection in the 1984 draft by the Expos. The Reds acquired him in Spring Training 1986 and made the major league roster in 1988 as a starter.
Converted to a reliever for the 1989 season, Charlton began a five-year run as one of the best lefty relievers in the game. In 1990, he appeared in 56 games, 16 starts, tossing 154 1/3 innings with a 2.74 ERA. He was the only one of the trio to allow a run in the playoffs, giving up one earned run in the NLCS.
Charlton would be traded to Seattle in Nov. 1992, and he would go on to pitch until 2001 as one of the best left-handed relievers in the game, making an All-Star game in 1992.
The Nasty Boys really peaked in that one season together, and the Reds fell off hard in 1991 as a major step backward for the members of the rotation and injuries to the starting lineup led to 88 losses and a fifth-place finish in the NL West in 1991.
Benjamin Chase is one of the co-directors of the IBWAA. He spends his days as a newspaper editor in South Dakota and finds time to write and podcast about baseball in the free time he has. He can be found on most social media platforms under the username @biggentleben.
Extra Innings
Charlton turning 62 today inspired today's article. After his baseball career was complete, he tried coaching in 2007 with the Mariners, but was relieved of his duties after the 2008 season. Charlton followed a family legacy at Rice, setting multiple records for the Owls team.
One of the most memorable moments in his career came in the 1990 season and became one of the moments that iconized the Nasty Boys. On June 24, 1990, Charlton was hit by a pitch while batting, and he did not appreciate it. He made sure Dodger catcher and future MLB manager Mike Scioscia knew about it: