Jimmy Gobble

Infobox MLB player
name=Jimmy Gobble

---

position=Relief pitcher
team=Kansas City Royals
number=41
bats=Left
throws=Left
birthdate=birth date and age|1981|7|19
birthplace=city-state|Bristol|Tennessee
debutdate=August 3
debutyear=2003
debutteam=Kansas City Royals
statyear=September 13, 2008
stat1label=Win-Loss
stat1value=22-23
stat2label=Earned run average
stat2value=5.28
stat3label=Strikeouts
stat3value=270
teams=
*Kansas City Royals (by|2003-present)

Billy James Gobble (born July 19, 1981 in Bristol, Tennessee) is an Major League Baseball pitcher currently playing with the Kansas City Royals. He currently wears jersey number 41.

High school career

Gobble attended John S. Battle High School in Bristol, Virginia and started four years on the varsity team. He led the team to three state tournament appearances and compiled a 32-8 record and 512 strikeouts.

As a senior, he was 10-1 with a 0.49 ERA, striking out 151 and allowing just 23 hits in 71 innings of work. His only loss came at the hands of Sullivan East High School, which is located in nearby Bluff City, Tennessee. He was also a strong hitter, compiling a .493 batting average with nine home runs and 30 RBI. He also drew 24 walks.

He signed a baseball scholarship with the University of Kentucky before being drafted by the Royals with the 43rd pick in the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft. Gobble was the fourth Royal chosen, following Kyle Snyder, Mike MacDougal, and Jay Gehrke.

Gobble made his major league debut with the Royals in mlby|2003. He steadily improved through his first three seasons; in mlby|2007, he appeared in 74 games, the most on Kansas City's staff and tied for fifth-most in the American League. (Leaders Jamie Walker of Baltimore and Scott Downs of Toronto each had 81 appearances.) Gobble was 4-1 with a 3.02 earned run average.

Professional career

On July 21, mlby|2008, Gobble surrendered 10 runs to the Detroit Tigers in the eighth inning, setting a Kansas City franchise record for the most runs surrendered in a game by a relief pitcher.Kaegel, Dick. [http://kansascity.royals.mlb.com/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20080721&content_id=3168649&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=kc Royals subjected to Tigers' revenge] "MLB.com", 22 July 2008.] Riedel, Charlie. [http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080722/SPORTS02/80722104/1048/rss03] "Detroit Free Press", 22 July 2008.]

References

External links