Bob Watson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bob Watson |
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Watson in 1976
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| First baseman / Left fielder | |||
| Born: April 10, 1946 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
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| Died: May 14, 2020 (aged 74) Houston, Texas, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| September 9, 1966, for the Houston Astros | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 30, 1984, for the Atlanta Braves | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .295 | ||
| Home runs | 184 | ||
| Runs batted in | 989 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Robert José Watson (born April 10, 1946 – died May 14, 2020) was an American professional baseball player, coach, and general manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a first baseman and left fielder from 1966 to 1984. He is best known for his time with the Houston Astros, where he was a two-time All-Star player. Watson had a .295 batting average during his career. He also played for the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, and Atlanta Braves.
After he stopped playing, Watson became a coach for the Oakland Athletics. Later, he worked in the front office for the Astros. In 1993, he became the second African-American general manager in MLB history with the Astros. He then worked as the Yankees' general manager from 1995 to 1998. During this time, the Yankees won the 1996 World Series. This made Watson the first African-American general manager to lead a team to a World Series win. He also served as an MLB vice president from 2002 to 2010. In 2020, Watson was honored by being inducted into the Houston Astros Hall of Fame.
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Early Life and Baseball Beginnings
Watson was born in Los Angeles on April 10, 1946. His grandparents raised him. He went to John C. Fremont High School, where he played baseball as a catcher. His high school team won the city championship in 1963. Some of his teammates, like Willie Crawford and Bobby Tolan, also became major league players. After high school, Watson attended Los Angeles Harbor College.
In January 1965, the Houston Astros signed Watson as a young player. He almost quit baseball while playing in the Minor Leagues. This was because of segregation in restaurants and hotels in Savannah, Georgia. Watson, nicknamed "Bull", later changed his playing positions to first base and outfield. He made his major league debut with the Astros on September 9, 1966.
Playing in the Major Leagues
Watson was a very reliable hitter. He played most of his career in the Astrodome, which was known for being a difficult park for hitters. From 1966 to 1970, Watson played in fewer than 100 games each season for the Astros. He hit .259 with 14 home runs and 74 runs batted in (RBI) during those years.
From 1971 to 1978, Watson played in at least 129 games every season. He batted .303 with 122 home runs and 690 RBI. He was chosen as an All-Star twice, in 1973 and 1975. On June 24, 1977, Watson achieved a special feat called hitting for the cycle. This means he hit a single, double, triple, and home run in the same game. The Astros won that game 6–5 against the San Francisco Giants. In his 14 seasons with the Astros, Watson played in 1,381 games. He batted .297 with 139 home runs and 781 RBI.
In June 1979, the Astros traded Watson to the Boston Red Sox. He played 84 games for the Red Sox that year. He batted .337 with 13 home runs and 53 RBI. On September 15, 1979, Watson hit for the cycle again! Since he had already done it with the Astros in 1977, he became the first player to hit for the cycle in both the National League (NL) and American League (AL).
After that season, Watson signed with the New York Yankees. With the Yankees, he played in the postseason for the first time. In 1981, Watson reached the World Series, which was the only time in his career. He hit two home runs and batted .318 with seven RBIs. However, the Yankees lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games.
In April 1982, Watson was traded to the Atlanta Braves. He helped the Braves win the 1982 National League West title. In 1983, Watson batted .309, mostly as a pinch hitter. He retired from playing after the 1984 season.
In his 19-year MLB career, Bob Watson played in 1,832 regular season games. He batted .295 with 184 home runs and 989 RBI. In 17 postseason games, he batted an impressive .371.
The Millionth Run
Bob Watson is famous for scoring what was believed to be the 1,000,000th run in major league history. This happened on May 4, 1975. Watson scored from second base on a three-run home run by his teammate Milt May. This exciting moment took place at San Francisco's Candlestick Park.
Everyone knew that the 999,999th run had already scored. Updates were given to all ballparks. Even though there wasn't a rush in the game, Watson ran very fast. He reached home plate just before Dave Concepción, who had also hit a home run in Cincinnati and was racing around the bases. Watson joked that after this event, his fan mail doubled! Later, people realized that the way runs were counted meant that neither Watson nor Concepcion actually scored the true millionth run. It's still a fun story about a unique moment in baseball history!
After Playing Baseball
Coach and General Manager
After retiring as a player, Watson became the hitting coach for the Oakland Athletics for four years. In 1988, the Astros hired him as their assistant general manager.
In 1993, Watson became the general manager of the Astros. He was the second African American to be a GM in Major League Baseball. After the 1995 season, the New York Yankees hired Watson to be their general manager. He worked for the Yankees from October 1995 to February 1998. The Yankees team he managed won the 1996 World Series. This made Bob Watson the first African-American general manager to win a World Series championship.
MLB Executive Role
After leaving the Yankees, Watson worked for Major League Baseball itself. Starting in 2002, he was a vice president in charge of player discipline and rules for games. In 2007, he was considered to return as the Astros' general manager.
In 2000, Watson helped USA Baseball choose the team for the baseball at the 2000 Summer Olympics. The United States national baseball team won the gold medal at those Olympics.
Watson retired from his position with MLB in 2010.
Personal Life
Bob Watson and his wife, Carol, had two children.
While playing for Houston, Watson and some teammates had a small part in the 1977 movie The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training.
In March 1994, Watson was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He was successfully treated for it. Watson wrote about his experience in his 1997 book, Survive To Win. He often spoke at cancer awareness events and with players and staff in MLB. His efforts helped many people in baseball, including Joe Torre, get checked for cancer.
In 1999, Watson earned a college degree in sports management from New York's Empire State College.
In 2016, Watson was diagnosed with serious kidney disease. He passed away on May 14, 2020, at the age of 74, due to this illness.
See also
- Houston Astros award winners and league leaders
- List of Major League Baseball players to hit for the cycle
