Charlie Leibrandt
A crafty left-handed pitcher whose devastating changeup defined a long career, yet he is often remembered for a single, costly home run.
Born 1956 (age 70)·American baseball player·Birthday: October 4·Baby Boomers
Biography
Charlie Leibrandt’s baseball journey was a masterclass in reinvention. Drafted by the Reds, he struggled as a starter before being converted to a reliever, only to be released in 1983. It was with the Kansas City Royals that he found his true calling, returning to the rotation and perfecting a changeup that left hitters flailing. His pinpoint control and guile made him the Royals' reliable number two starter behind Bret Saberhagen, culminating in a crucial role in their 1985 World Series championship. After moving to the Atlanta Braves, he helped anchor a young staff that surged to the 1991 World Series, pitching a brilliant 10-inning shutout in the NLCS. For all his consistent regular-season success—he won 140 games over his career—Leibrandt’s legacy is inextricably tied to one October moment in 1991: a bottom-of-the-ninth slider to Kirby Puckett that sailed over the fence, forcing a Game 7 the Braves would lose. It was a cruel footnote for a pitcher whose intelligence and adaptability crafted a 15-year career defined by more than one pitch.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Charlie was born in 1956, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Charlie Was Born
The biggest hits of 1956
#1 Movie
The Ten Commandments
Best Picture
Around the World in 80 Days
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Charlie's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1956Born
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1961Started school
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1969Became a teenager
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1972Could drive
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1974Could vote
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Turned 21
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1986Turned 30
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 40
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 50
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 60
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 70
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won a World Series championship as a key starting pitcher for the Kansas City Royals in 1985.
- Pitched a 10-inning, complete-game shutout for the Atlanta Braves in Game 6 of the 1991 NLCS to clinch the pennant.
- Recorded 140 career wins over 15 major league seasons with a 3.71 ERA.
Did You Know?
He was originally drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 9th round of the 1978 amateur draft.
His son, Charlie Leibrandt III, was also a professional baseball pitcher in the minor leagues.
He led the American League in shutouts in 1985 with four for the Kansas City Royals.
“I learned to win by changing speeds and hitting my spots.”
