player (whom he would not name). Sabo also pointed out his minimal offensive numbers that year (.256 batting average with 3 home runs), saying "That's hardly a good endorsement for the cork industry." Moreover, even the live television announcers believed the illegal bat had already cracked on a foul ball prior to breaking it on the following pitch, leading them to speculate (after the cork was discovered) that it would have been highly unlikely for Sabo to knowingly risk using an apparently damaged bat if he had known it was also corked. In a nine-season career, Sabo hit .268 with 116 home runs and 426 RBI in 911 games. Also an excellent fielder, Sabo led National League third basemen in fielding percentage in 1988 and 1990 and was second in 1991. Reds manager Pete Rose gave Sabo the nickname "Spuds" during his rookie season in 1988, citing a resemblance to a bull terrier character in Bud Light commercials named Spuds MacKenzie. On October 23, 2018 Sabo was named head baseball coach at the University of Akron. Akron had a losing record of 1-12 in their 2020 season. Head coaching record Personal life Sabo lives in Sarasota, Florida with his wife, Susan, whom he married in 1989, and their three daughters Annie, Brooke, and Olivia. Annie is currently a sports reporter on Bally Sports Ohio covering the Reds. He has served as a coach in the Reds' minor league system for the Advanced Rookie Billings Mustangs and Class A Dayton Dragons. He has also served as an assistant coach for the University of Cincinnati. In 2009, he began attending the Northern Kentucky University law school. Sabo was inducted in the Cincinnati Reds Hall Of Fame, along with Big Red Machine reliever Pedro Borbón and 19th-century pitcher Tony Mullane, on July 17, 2010. The Reds gave away Chris Sabo bobblehead dolls to fans in attendance that evening. On January 29, 2017, Sabo was named Field Manager of the Green Bay Bullfrogs of the Northwoods League, a college summer league. On October 23, 2018 Sabo was introduced as the new head coach of the baseball team at the University of Akron. The program practiced with redshirted walk-ons (as is the practice for a new program) with the first class of recruits for the 2019–20 academic year. Sabo parted ways with Akron in 2022. He is an avid golfer, plays in celebrity golf tournaments