{{short description|American baseball player (born 1955)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}} {{Infobox baseball biography | name = Kevin Rhomberg | image = | position = Left fielder | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1955|11|22}} | birth_place = Dubuque, Iowa, U.S. | death_date = <!-- {{death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} (death date then birth date) --> | death_place = | bats = Right | throws = Right |debutleague = MLB | debutdate = June 9 | debutyear = 1982 | debutteam = Cleveland Indians |finalleague = MLB | finaldate = June 5 | finalyear = 1984 | finalteam = Cleveland Indians |statleague = MLB | stat1label = Batting average | stat1value = .383 | stat2label = Home runs | stat2value = 1 | stat3label = Runs batted in | stat3value = 3 | teams = *Cleveland Indians ({{mlby|1982}}–{{mlby|1984}}) }} '''Kevin Jay Rhomberg''' (born November 22, 1955) is an American former left fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB). He was selected by the Cleveland Indians of the American League in the 14th round of the 1977 amateur draft, and made his major league debut on June 9, {{Baseball year|1982}}. While Rhomberg's career consisted of just 41 games (his final game was on June 5, {{Baseball year|1984}}) he batted an impressive .383 with an on-base percentage of .423. Not known for his defense, Rhomberg was considered primarily an outfielder.
Rhomberg was known not just for his hitting, but also for his compulsions. His main compulsion was the need to touch back someone who had just touched him.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cleveland.com/morris/index.ssf/2014/04/the_raging_politics_of_a_hat_c.html|title=The raging politics of a hat consumes this baseball town: Phillip Morris|last=Morris|first=Phillip|date=4 April 2014|work=Cleveland Plain Dealer|accessdate=4 April 2014}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Stone |first=Larry |date=2005-09-26 |title=The Art of Baseball: A tradition of superstition |url=http://seattletimes.com/html/mariners/2002518797_artx25.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130208153352/http://seattletimes.com/html/mariners/2002518797_artx25.html |archive-date=2013-02-08 |website=Seattle Times}}</ref>
==Early life== Rhomberg was born and raised in Dubuque, Iowa, where his father worked for a meatpacking company. He played basketball and baseball in high school and led his baseball team to the school's first state championship. It was during high school that he met Denice, his future wife.
In 1974, Rhomberg attended Lewis University in Illinois where he was a part of the NAIA World Series Championship baseball team.<ref name="Lewis">{{cite web |title=1976 Baseball Team - Hall of Fame |url=https://lewisflyers.com/hof.aspx?hof=152&path=&kiosk= |accessdate=17 July 2016 |website=Lewis University}}</ref> In 1976 he transferred to the University of St. Francis, where he was selected in the 1977 draft by the Cleveland Indians.
==Playing career== By 1981, Rhomberg was playing with the Class AA Chattanooga Lookouts of the Southern League. That year he led the Southern League in hits (187), triples (14), stolen bases (74), batting average (.366) and on-base percentage (.457); he finished second in runs scored (104).<ref name="BRSL">{{cite web|title=1981 Southern League batting leaders|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/leader.cgi?type=bat&id=85470506|website=Baseball-Reference.com|accessdate=July 17, 2016}}</ref> After the 1981 season, the Indians traded second baseman Duane Kuiper to the San Francisco Giants for pitcher Ed Whitson. Indians vice president Phil Seghi named Rhomberg as one of two players likely to become the starting second baseman on the 1982 Indians.<ref name="Kuiper">{{cite news |date=November 16, 1981 |title=Indians trade Kuiper to Giants |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19811116&id=W31SAAAAIBAJ&pg=5687,101810&hl=en |accessdate=July 17, 2016 |work=Toledo Blade |pages=20 |via=Google News Archive |agency=Associated Press}}</ref>
Rhomberg spent most of the 1982 season in Class AAA, and he was called up to the major leagues with the Indians in September of that year. In his major league debut on September 8, which Rhomberg said was the first birthday of his son Kevin Jr, Rhomberg hit a home run.<ref name="NLDay">{{cite news |date=September 9, 1982 |title=Red Sox drop 5 1⁄2 games back |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1915&dat=19820909&id=dwAhAAAAIBAJ&pg=3985,1407876&hl=en |accessdate=July 17, 2016 |work=The Day |pages=19 |via=Google News Archive}}</ref> Several players shared the second base duties that year for the Indians; Rhomberg appeared in 16 games, mostly as a left fielder or pinch runner.<ref>{{cite web|title=1982 Cleveland Indians Roster (40-man)|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CLE/1982-roster.shtml|website=Baseball-Reference.com|accessdate=July 17, 2016}}</ref> Before the 1983 season, the Indians sent Rhomberg back to the Class AAA Charleston Charlies.<ref name="Cut">{{cite news |date=March 26, 1983 |title=Indians cut eight |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19830326&id=83BPAAAAIBAJ&pg=4510,7929201&hl=en |accessdate=July 17, 2016 |work=Toledo Blade |pages=17 |via=Google News Archive |agency=Associated Press}}</ref> He was called back up to the Indians in September 1983.<ref name="Blade2">{{cite news |date=September 7, 1983 |title=Sportswhirl |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19830907&id=bGRQAAAAIBAJ&pg=4953,4315826&hl=en |accessdate=July 17, 2016 |work=Toledo Blade |pages=30 |via=Google News Archive |agency=Associated Press}}</ref> He finished his major league career with the 1984 Indians, playing in 13 games. Over his 41-game major league career, Rhomberg had 18 hits in 47 at bats for a .383 batting average. He retired after spending the 1985 season in Class AAA with the Phoenix Giants.<ref name="BRMinors">{{cite web|title=Kevin Rhomberg Register Statistics & History|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.cgi?id=rhombe002kev|website=Baseball-Reference.com|accessdate=July 17, 2016}}</ref>
Cleveland teammates, including former player and manager Mike Hargrove, called Rhomberg, "Touch Me, Touch Me", and it is reported that opposing players and teammates, loved nothing more than to touch Rhomberg and then run off, sending him into a near panic. According to one story, former Indians teammate Rick Sutcliffe once reached under a bathroom stall to touch Rhomberg on the toe. Not knowing who the culprit was, Rhomberg went around the clubhouse and touched each player. Brook Jacoby tagged Rhomberg with a ball in the minors, then threw it out of the stadium. Jacoby said that Rhomberg spent two hours looking for the ball before finding it. An umpire once halted play during a game in New York to tell Yankees players to stop touching Rhomberg. If a person eluded his return touch, Rhomberg would send a letter that said, "This constitutes a touch."<ref name=":0" />
Another compulsion was that Rhomberg refused to make any right-hand turns on the baseball field, reasoning that the allocation of the bases meant for players only to turn left. If the ball was hit to his right while playing in the outfield, Rhomberg would turn to the left and then make a full circle.
==Post-playing career== Following his playing career, Rhomberg was a scout for the Cleveland Indians.<ref name="MJ">{{Cite news |date=1988-04-20 |title=Don't touch |url=https://www.genealogybank.com/newspaper-clippings/title/gilwxnuwycdgsqweryphbkzrlqmcaobv_ip-10-166-46-115_1739855383191 |access-date=2025-02-18 |work=Milwaukee Journal |page=3C |via=GenealogyBank.com |agency=Associated Press}}</ref> He spent most of the 1990s as a college baseball head coach, first at Cleveland State University and then at Lakeland Community College.<ref name="Lake">{{cite web |title=Kevin Rhomberg Bio |url=https://www.milb.com/news/gcs-6646658 |accessdate=2025-02-18 |website=MiLB.com}}</ref> Since then he owned, operated, and consulted for minor league baseball clubs. Rhomberg lives in Ohio and used to own the Lorain County Ironmen, a team in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League, a wood-bat league that gives college players the chance to play during the college off-season. The Ironmen were managed by Rhomberg's close friend, former Cleveland Indians teammate Joe Charboneau. Rhomberg's son, Joe Rhomberg, also used to be a member of the Ironmen coaching staff. The team plays its home games at the Pipe Yard in Lorain, Ohio. He also has a family in Ohio made up of his wife, four kids, and ten grandkids.
Rhomberg was named one of the Top 10 Most Superstitious Athletes by ''Men's Fitness''.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Murphy |first=Ryan |date=22 March 2011 |title=10 Most Superstitious Athletes |url=https://www.mensjournal.com/sports/10-most-superstitious-athletes |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120529150945/http://www.mensfitness.com/leisure/sports/10-most-superstitious-athletes |archive-date=2012-05-29 |access-date=2025-02-18 |newspaper=Men's Journal}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist|30em}}
==External links== {{Baseballstats|br=r/rhombke01 |espn=1113 |mlb=121131 |fangraphs=1010888 |brm=rhombe002kev}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20121025165804/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1124594/index.htm/ Sports Illustrated feature on Kevin Rhomberg of the 1981 Chattanooga Lookouts]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Rhomberg, Kevin}} Category:1955 births Category:Living people Category:Major League Baseball left fielders Category:Cleveland Indians players Category:Batavia Trojans players Category:Waterloo Indians players Category:Chattanooga Lookouts players Category:Tacoma Tigers players Category:Charleston Charlies players Category:Maine Guides players Category:Phoenix Giants players Category:Baseball players from Iowa Category:Sportspeople from Dubuque, Iowa Category:Cleveland State Vikings baseball coaches Category:St. Francis Fighting Saints baseball players Category:20th-century American sportsmen