Robin Roberts (baseball) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Robin Roberts |
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Roberts with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1953
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| Pitcher | |||
| Born: September 30, 1926 Springfield, Illinois, U.S. |
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| Died: May 6, 2010 (aged 83) Temple Terrace, Florida, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| June 18, 1948, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| August 26, 1966, for the Chicago Cubs | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 286–245 | ||
| Earned run average | 3.41 | ||
| Strikeouts | 2,357 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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 Baseball Hall of Fame |
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| Induction | 1976 | ||
| Vote | 86.9% (fourth ballot) | ||
Robin Evan Roberts (September 30, 1926 – May 6, 2010) was a famous American Major League Baseball starting pitcher. He played most of his career for the Philadelphia Phillies from 1948 to 1961. Later, he also played for the Baltimore Orioles, Houston Astros, and Chicago Cubs.
Roberts was a truly great player. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976. After his baseball career, he coached the University of South Florida college baseball team. He led them to six conference titles over nine seasons.
Contents
Early Life and Sports Beginnings
Roberts was born in Springfield, Illinois. His father was a coal miner from Wales. Robin moved to East Lansing, Michigan for an Army Air Corps training program.
He went to Lanphier High School. After World War II, Roberts returned to Michigan State College. He first played basketball there, not baseball. Roberts was a strong basketball player. He led the Spartans' basketball team in shooting percentage in 1946–1947. He was also team captain in 1946–1947 and 1949–1950. He earned three varsity letters in basketball.
After two seasons of basketball, Roberts decided to try out for the Michigan State baseball team. He became a pitcher because that was the position the coach, John Kobs, needed most. After playing for Michigan State and a summer league in Vermont, the Philadelphia Phillies signed him.
Professional Baseball Career
Playing for the Philadelphia Phillies
Robin Roberts made his Major League Baseball debut with the Philadelphia Phillies on June 18, 1948. In 1950, he helped his Phillies team win their first National League championship in 35 years. This young team was known as the "Whiz Kids".
Roberts pitched three games in the final five days of that season. He beat the strong Brooklyn Dodgers in a thrilling 10-inning game. This win secured the championship for the Phillies. It was his 20th win of the season. He was the Phillies' first 20-game winner since 1917. Roberts also started Game 2 of the 1950 World Series. He pitched ten innings but the Phillies lost 2-1.
Amazing Seasons and Records
From 1950 to 1955, Roberts won at least 20 games every season. He led the National League in wins from 1952 to 1955. He also led the league in games started six times. He led in complete games and innings pitched five times. He once pitched 28 complete games in a row! One of those games lasted 17 innings.
Roberts was known for not walking many batters. He never walked more than 77 batters in any regular season. He was also a good hitter himself. He hit 55 doubles, 10 triples, and five home runs. He also had 103 RBIs.
In 1952, Roberts won 28 games. This was the most in the National League since 1935. He was named the Sporting News MLB Player of the Year. His best season was in 1953. He had a 23–16 record and led the National League in strikeouts with 198. He pitched a career-high 346+2⁄3 innings. He only walked 66 batters, and his 2.75 ERA was second best in the league.
A memorable moment happened on May 13, 1954. Roberts gave up a home run to start the game. But then he retired 27 batters in a row! He won the game 8–1, allowing only one hit.
Roberts often had a better winning percentage than his team. From 1948 to 1961, the Phillies won 47.3% of their games. Roberts, however, won 54% of his games during that time.
Later Career Teams
After the 1961 season, the Phillies sold Roberts to the New York Yankees. The Yankees paid a small fee for him. On February 6, 1962, the Phillies announced they would retire Roberts' uniform number 36. This happened on March 21, 1962. It was the first number ever retired by the Phillies. Roberts pitched for the Yankees in that spring training game. He was released by the Yankees in May 1962. He never played a regular season game for them.
Roberts then signed with the Baltimore Orioles on May 21, 1962. He played for them for 3+1⁄2 seasons. He had a record of 42 wins and 36 losses with a 3.09 ERA. In his last year with the Orioles, he was a mentor to young pitcher Jim Palmer. Palmer later became a Hall of Famer himself. Roberts asked to be released from the Orioles in July 1965 because he wanted to pitch more.
He then signed with the Houston Astros on August 5, 1965. In 1966, he joined the Chicago Cubs. He also helped coach their pitchers. His final major league game was with the Cubs on September 3, 1966. He was released by the Cubs in October 1966.
Baseball Hall of Fame
Roberts was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976. Before his induction, he was named an honorary captain. This was for the 1976 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. The Phillies hosted this game in their stadium.
Coaching at University of South Florida
After working as a TV commentator for the Phillies in 1976, Roberts became a college baseball coach. He coached the University of South Florida Bulls baseball team from 1977 to 1985. He led the team to their first NCAA Tournament in 1982. He also won six conference titles with the Bulls. His uniform number 36 was the first to be retired by the team. He is honored at the new USF Baseball Stadium.
Other Activities and Legacy
During the baseball off-season, Roberts played basketball. He toured with his "Robin Roberts All-Stars" basketball team. They played against other touring teams, like the Harlem Globetrotters. Roberts was also the president of a seafood company in Philadelphia. He even ran the company while he was still playing baseball!
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In his 19-season career, Roberts had 286 wins and 245 losses. He had 2,357 strikeouts and a 3.41 ERA. He completed 305 games and had 45 shutouts. He pitched 4,688+2⁄3 innings in 676 games. He holds the record for most consecutive opening day starts for the same team, with 12.
Roberts is known for giving up many home runs (505). This is because he pitched for a long time and always challenged hitters. He threw the ball in the strike zone and didn't walk many batters. He walked only 1.7 batters per 9 innings pitched.
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| Robin Roberts's number 36 was retired by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1962. |
In 1962, the Philadelphia Phillies retired his uniform number, 36. In 1978, he became the first Phillie inducted into the Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame. In 2003, Michigan State University also retired his number 36. In 2004, a statue of Roberts was placed outside Citizens Bank Park, the Phillies' new stadium. Robin Roberts Stadium in his hometown of Springfield, Illinois, is named after him.
Roberts wrote two books about his baseball experiences. They are called The Whiz Kids and the 1950 Pennant and My Life in Baseball.
Death and Memorials
Robin Roberts passed away on May 6, 2010, at age 83. He died of natural causes at his home in Temple Terrace, Florida. For the rest of their 2010 season, the Philadelphia Phillies honored him. They wore a special #36 patch on their uniforms. They also hung a Robin Roberts jersey in their dugout during all games.
Career Highlights
- Seven-time All-Star (1950–1956)
- Six-time 20+ game winner (1950–1955)
- Four-time win champion (1952–1955)
- Led the league in strikeouts twice (1953–54)
- Led the league in shutouts (1950)
- Led the league in games started six times (1950–1955)
- Led the league in complete games five times (1952–1956)
- Led the league in innings pitched five times (1951–1955)
- Pitched over 300 innings six times (1950–1955)
- Ranks 28th on the all-time wins leaderboard
- Holds five Philadelphia Phillies team records as of 2010: most complete games pitched, most games pitched, most innings pitched, most hits allowed, and most losses
