Robin Roberts Stats & Facts
Robin Roberts
Position: Pitcher
Bats: Both • Throws: Right
6-0, 190lb (183cm, 86kg)
Born: September 30, 1926 in Springfield, IL
Died: May 6, 2010 in Temple Terrace, FL
Buried: Cremated
High School: Lanphier HS (Springfield, IL)
School: Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI)
Debut: June 18, 1948 (10,538th in major league history)
vs. PIT 8.0 IP, 5 H, 2 SO, 2 BB, 2 ER, L
Last Game: September 3, 1966
vs. PIT 1.0 IP, 4 H, 1 SO, 1 BB, 4 ER
Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 1976. (Voted by BBWAA on 337/388 ballots)
View Robin Roberts’s Page at the Baseball Hall of Fame (plaque, photos, videos).
Full Name: Robin Evan Roberts
View Player Info from the B-R Bullpen
View Player Bio from the SABR BioProject
Nine Players Who Debuted in 1948
Roy Campanella
Richie Ashburn
Robin Roberts
Mike Garcia
Carl Erskine
Hank Bauer
Ray Boone
Don Mueller
Satchel Paige
The Robin Roberts Teammate Team
C: Andy Seminick
1B: Ernie Banks
2B: Sparky Anderson
3B: Puddin’ Head Jones
SS: Granny Hamner
LF: Billy Williams
CF: Richie Ashburn
RF: Del Ennis
SP: Curt Simmons
SP: Dutch Leonard
SP: Schoolboy Rowe
SP: Milt Pappas
SP: Larry Dierker
RP: Jim Konstanty
M: Eddie Sawyer
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Notable Events and Chronology for Robin Roberts Career
Biography
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Factoids, Quotes, Milestones and Odd Facts
Played For
Philadelphia Phillies (1948-1961)
Baltimore Orioles (1962-1965)
Houston Astros (1965-1966)
Chicago Cubs (1966)
Similar: Fergie Jenkins, Jim Kaat
Linked: On July 30, 1959, Willie McCovey made his ML debut with four hits – including two triples – off Roberts. On September 11, Roberts earned his revenge, stopping McCovey’s 22-game hitting streak in a 1-0 three-hit win over the Giants… On April 17, 1960, Eddie Mathews hit his 300th career homer, against Roberts… Bob Lemon was elected to the Hall of Fame with Roberts in 1976… In 1986, Bert Blyleven broke Roberts’ record of 46 homers allowed in a season (set in 1956).
Best Season, 1953
From 1952-1955, Roberts led the NL wins every season. He won 28 games in 1952, but his 1953 season was a shade better. Posting a 23-16 record, Roberts pitched in bad luck. His 2.75 ERA was second in the league as he led the loop in K’s (narrowly missing the Triple Crown). In a career-high 346 2/3 innings, he walked just 66 batters.
Post-Season Appearances
1950 World Series
Factoid
Robin Roberts holds the major league record for most consecutive Opening Day starts for the same team (12). He started every season opener for the Phillies from 1950 to 1961.
Post-Season Notes
Roberts started Game Two, and lost 2-1 in the 10th when he gave up a home run to Joe DiMaggio. The Phillies were swept by the Yankees, with Roberts making a relief appearance in Game Four.
Transactions
Before 1948 Season: Signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent; October 16, 1961: Purchased by the New York Yankees from the Philadelphia Phillies; May 8, 1962: Released by the New York Yankees; May 21, 1962: Signed as a Free Agent with the Baltimore Orioles; August 6, 1965: Signed as a Free Agent with the Houston Astros; August 6, 1965: Released by the Baltimore Orioles; October 29, 1965: Released by the Houston Astros; March 30, 1966: Signed as a Free Agent with the Houston Astros; July 13, 1966: Signed as a Free Agent with the Chicago Cubs; July 13, 1966: Released by the Houston Astros; October 4, 1966: Released by the Chicago Cubs.
Fast-Working Pitcher
Robin Roberts was one pitcher who found a way to interrupt the batters rhythm, without altering his own. He did this by devising an elaborate choreography for his mound routine. Early on in his career, Roberts was enthusiastic and nervous, with a powerful fastball, but a rushed delivery that ruined his control and prevented him from establishing any rhythm. He’d fire a strike or two, and then lose his release point and toss four straight balls. A pitching coach recommended that he adopt a pre-pitch routine to help him control his energies, and if you look at his pitching record, you can see the advice take hold. He went 7-9 in his rookie year (1948), the next year he evened it to 15-15, and then he was off on a string of six straight twenty-win seasons that wasn’t broken until 1956.
Over the years, Roberts added layers to the routine so that, by his prime, it was a piece of choreography as intricate as a cobra’s mating dance. Before throwing a pitch he’d take a breath and adjust his belt back and forth, like a man preparing to unburden himself of some really bad news. Then he’d bend at the waist, and fool with his left pant-leg, and look towards the plate. Then he’d finally adjust his cap, rock into a slow motion wind-up, and fire home. He’d repeat the whole thing, unabridged, before each and every pitch he threw. Roberts had an outstanding fastball, and all this slow, absent-minded motion preceding his pitches made them seem even faster than they were. Roberts gave up more home runs than any pitcher in history, which tells us that his stuff wasn’t completely overpowering. But, he’s a Hall of Famer; a fact that serves notice of his pitching wit and creativity. Roberts came up with something that worked.
From Kirk Robinson’s May 30, 2002, column
Factoid
Robin Roberts’ 28 wins in 1952 are the most in the National League since 1935 (when Dizzy Dean also won 28).
Roberts vs. Roberts
On April 13th, 1954, in Pittsburgh’s first opening game at home in 61 years, the Pirates defeated the Phils 4-2, before a crowd of 32,294. Curt Roberts, the Bucs’ first black player, hit a triple against Robin Roberts in the first inning.
Factoid
On May 13, 1954, Bobby Adams of the Reds hit a lead-off homer off Robin Roberts. Roberts then retired the next 27 batters in a row to win 8-1 on a one-hitter.
All-Star Selections
1950 NL
1951 NL
1952 NL
1953 NL
1954 NL
1955 NL
1956 NL
Replaced
Veteran Schoolboy Rowe, who had struggled in the Phillies’ rotation in 1948.
Replaced By
Roberts was muscled out of the Astros’ 1966 rotation by Turk Farrell and Bob Bruce.
Best Strength as a Player
Control
Largest Weakness as a Player
Surrendering the longball.
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