Bob Kipper
Robert Wayne Kipper is an American professional baseball coach and a former middle-relief pitcher in Major League Baseball. He has also spent two terms as bullpen coach of MLB's Boston Red Sox.Playing career
A native of Aurora, Illinois, Kipper, a left-hander, stood tall and weighed during his active career. After graduating from Aurora Central Catholic High School, he was selected by the California Angels with the eighth pick in the first round of the 1982 Major League Baseball Draft. He had signed to play baseball at Nebraska before his selection. Kipper led the Class A California League in wins and earned run average as his league's "pitcher of the year" in 1984. He made his MLB debut with the Angels in April at age 20, but was ineffective in two games pitched and was returned to the minor leagues. Then, on August 16, 1985, the contending Angels included Kipper in a six-player trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates that netted them veterans John Candelaria, George Hendrick and Al Holland. Kipper would pitch in 247 games for the Pirates over all or parts of seven seasons —initially as a starter, but then as a relief specialist—before finishing his MLB career for the Minnesota Twins in.
In his eight-season MLB career, Kipper posted a 27–37 record with a 4.43 ERA and 11 saves in 271 appearances. He allowed 527 hits and 217 bases on balls, with 369 strikeouts, and 562 innings pitched.Post-playing career
Following his playing retirement, Kipper has worked as a pitching coach in independent league baseball and in the minor leagues. He also spent a full season as major league bullpen coach of the 2002 Boston Red Sox. Thirteen years later, on August 16, 2015, he was named Boston's interim bullpen coach, part of a chain reaction of moves driven by manager John Farrell's medical leave of absence for treatment of lymphoma. In Farrell's absence, bench coach Torey Lovullo became acting manager and bullpen coach Dana LeVangie became acting bench coach.
A member of the Boston Red Sox organization since 1999, Kipper has coached for their Lowell Spinners, Augusta GreenJackets, Greenville Drive, Lancaster JetHawks, Portland Sea Dogs, and Pawtucket Red Sox affiliates, working with teams from short-season leagues to Triple-A.
