Bob Miller (pitcher, born 1926) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bob Miller |
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| Pitcher | |||
| Born: June 16, 1926 Detroit, Michigan |
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| Died: November 27, 2020 (aged 94) West Bloomfield Township, Michigan |
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| debut | |||
| September 16, 1949, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| August 10, 1958, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 42–42 | ||
| Earned run average | 3.96 | ||
| Innings pitched | 822 | ||
| Teams | |||
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Robert John Miller (June 16, 1926 – November 27, 2020) was an American baseball player. He was a right-handed pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1949 to 1958. Miller was part of the famous 1950 "Whiz Kids" Phillies team. This team won the National League (NL) championship. It was only the second time the Phillies had won it.
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Early Life and Military Service
Bob Miller went to St. Mary of Redford school. He then joined the United States Army. He served during World War II in the Pacific Ocean area. After the war, he went to the University of Detroit Mercy.
Professional Baseball Career
Miller signed with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1948. He played for a minor league team called the Terre Haute Phillies. He won 19 games for them. In September 1949, he was called up to the big league team. That year, he pitched 2 and 2/3 innings. He did not allow any runs.
Becoming a "Whiz Kid" Pitcher
In 1950, Miller was almost 24 years old. He joined the young Phillies pitching staff. This team was known as the "Whiz Kids." He played in 35 games that season. He started 22 of those games. He won 11 games and lost 6. His earned run average (ERA) was 3.57. This means he gave up about 3.57 runs per nine innings. He pitched a total of 174 innings.
Even though he wasn't as famous as Robin Roberts or Curt Simmons, Miller was very important. He was third on the team in innings pitched. He was fourth in the number of wins. He completed seven games by himself. He also pitched two shutouts, meaning the other team scored no runs.
World Series Appearance
Miller started Game 4 of the 1950 World Series. This was a very important game. However, he only faced four batters. He got only one out. His team, the Phillies, lost the game 5–2 to the New York Yankees. The Yankees won the World Series in four games.
Career Statistics and Fielding
Miller spent parts of 1951 and 1952 in minor league baseball. Overall, he played in 261 MLB games. He had a record of 42 wins and 42 losses. He gave up 889 hits and 247 walks. He pitched a total of 822 innings. Miller also struck out 263 batters.
He was a good fielder too. In 205 chances to make a play, he made only two errors. This gave him a career fielding percentage of .990. His only two errors happened in 1954. One was on August 15 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The other was on August 19 against the New York Giants.
Coaching and Later Life
After his playing career, Miller became an assistant baseball coach at the University of Detroit Mercy. In 1965, he became the head coach for the Titans baseball team. He was the fourth head coach for the program. He stayed in this job until 2000. During that time, he won 896 games.
His 36 years as a coach led to many honors. In 1979, he was added to the Titans Sports Hall of Fame. In 1999, he was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame.
Miller's love for baseball coaching continued with his sons. His son Pat Miller is an assistant coach at Walled Lake Central High School. His son Bob Miller, Jr., coaches varsity baseball at Redford Union High School. Bob Miller Sr. passed away on November 27, 2020. He was 94 years old.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball players who spent their entire career with one franchise
