New York Mets organization Bibby attended
Fayetteville State University on a
basketball scholarship, and also pitched for its
varsity baseball team. His professional career began when he was signed by the
New York Mets as an undrafted free agent after his
junior year on July 19, 1965. With Fayetteville State having discontinued its baseball program in the late-1970s, he was the only player from the university to reach the major leagues. After appearing in thirteen games and posting a 2–3 record with an 11.25
ERA with the
Marion Mets in 1965, he spent the next two years on active duty with the
United States Army as a
truck driver in
Vietnam. On his return to baseball, Bibby moved up the organization's
minor league system, first with the
Raleigh-Durham Mets in 1968 before splitting time with the
Memphis Blues and
Tidewater Tides in 1969.
St. Louis Cardinals Bibby never got to pitch for New York because he was part of an eight-player transaction on October 18, 1971, when he,
Art Shamsky,
Rich Folkers and
Charlie Hudson were sent to St. Louis for
Chuck Taylor,
Chip Coulter and two players who would help the Mets capture the
National League pennant in ,
Jim Beauchamp and
Harry Parker. Bibby earned a promotion to the Cardinals late in as the
Tulsa Oilers' top hurler at 13–9, with a 3.09 ERA, 13 complete games and 208
strikeouts. He made his major-league debut at age 27 as the
starter in the second game of a
Labor Day doubleheader at
Busch Memorial Stadium on September 4. Despite surrendering four
runs in
innings, Bibby picked up the win in the 8–7 triumph over the
Montreal Expos. He made five more starts to finish the season, but lost three of them. The trade was made at the urging of
Whitey Herzog who, prior to becoming the Rangers
manager, was the Mets director of player development. On July 30, Bibby
no-hit the
defending and eventual
repeat World Champion Oakland Athletics 6–0 at the
Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, the first no-hitter in the franchise's history. Despite issuing six
walks and relying almost exclusively on his
fastball, After he fanned in the ninth inning, Oakland's
Reggie Jackson commented on the strike three pitch, "That's the fastest ball I ever saw. Actually I didn't see it. I just heard it." Bibby, whose
salary was $15,000 that year, earned a $5,000 raise from team owner
Bob Short as a result of the achievement. On a ballclub that finished with the worst record in the majors at 57–105 and fired Herzog with 24 games remaining in the campaign, Bibby was its winningest pitcher despite a 9–10 record. When the
Billy Martin-managed Rangers became the surprise team of by going 84–76 and vaulting into second place in the
American League Western Division, Bibby (19–19) and the newly acquired
Ferguson Jenkins (25–12) each made a club-record 41 starts to anchor the pitching staff. The nineteen losses, however, are also a club record. The deal was actually the result of a feud between Perry and Indians
manager Frank Robinson. Bibby compiled a 30–29 record with a 3.36 ERA in his years in Cleveland. The reason was indicative of the financially strapped and inept Indians
management at the time. Bibby's
contract included a $10,000
bonus if he made at least thirty starts. He started exactly thirty of the 37 contests in which he appeared, but the Indians failed to make the
payment by the
deadline stated in the terms of the contract. He was originally expected to be the new
closer, replacing
Goose Gossage, who had left for the
New York Yankees in the offseason. Instead, Bibby became a starter in the five-man rotation and had his most productive years with the Pirates, going 50–32 with a 3.53 ERA in five seasons. His only postseason experience was when he helped the Pirates capture the
1979 World Series Championship. Despite not getting a decision in any of his three starts, Bibby pitched effectively with a 2.08 ERA and 15 strikeouts in innings. Bibby went innings and departed Game 4 of the
Fall Classic with a 6–3 advantage in the 9–6 loss to the
Baltimore Orioles at
Three Rivers Stadium. When the Pirates clinched the series with a 4–1 win in Game 7 at
Memorial Stadium, he lasted four innings, with his only mistake being
Rich Dauer's
home run to lead off the Orioles' third. Bibby's best year in the majors was in , when he posted a 19–6 record and a league-best .760 win–loss percentage. Bibby pitched a one-hit
complete-game shutout in a 5–0 home win over the
Atlanta Braves on 19 May 1981 when he
recorded 27 consecutive outs after allowing a leadoff
Terry Harper single to right. He also hit a pair of
doubles, scored a
run and
drove in another. After missing all of with a
shoulder injury, Bibby spent one more season with the Pirates as a spot starter/
long reliever. He was granted free agency on November 7, 1983. Bibby was released on June 1. He was picked up by St. Louis again on June 9. Bibby only appeared in two contests, without a decision, for the
Louisville Redbirds, the Cardinals'
Triple-A farm team at the time. His career as an active player came to an end when he was released on July 1. ==Coaching career==