Wilbert Robinson Stats & Facts

Player

 

Wilbert Robinson

Position: Catcher
Bats: Right  •  Throws: Right
5-8, 215lb (173cm, 97kg)
Born: June 29, 1864 in Bolton, MA us
Died: August 8, 1934  in Atlanta, GA
Buried: New Cathedral Cemetery, Baltimore, MD
Debut: 1886 (1,095th in major league history)
Last Game: September 29, 1902
Hall of Fame: Inducted as Manager in 1945. (Voted by Old Timers Committee)
No induction ceremony in Cooperstown held (until 2013).
Full Name: Wilbert Robinson
Nicknames: Uncle Robbie
Relatives: Brother of Fred Robinson

 

Nine Players Who Debuted 1886

Silver King
Elmer Smith
Ice Box Chamberlain
Matt Kilroy
Hub Collins
Lou Bierbauer
George Shoch
Connie Mack
Wilbert Robinson

All-Time Teammate Team

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Notable Events and Chronology

 

Wilbert Robinson

The jovial Robinson came from New England and played baseball for a living as soon as he could sign on in the New England League. He became the catcher of the storied Baltimore Orioles, where he joined forces, under manager Ned Hanlon, with Willie Keeler, Hughie Jennings, and John McGraw, the scrappy third baseman who was the dominant force of the team. Robinson was the cornerstone of the team, its catcher, directing the play of the others. He was one of Baltimore’s better hitters, once making seven hits in a game, and he was durable enough to catch a rare triple header in 1896 and a double header the next day.

Robinson became John McGraw’s partner, off the field and on; the pair owned a billiards parlor in Baltimore. When McGraw took over the New York Giants, Robinson came along to run the pitching staff. The men remained close friends until a sudden, bitter parting of the ways. Why they split is not known. Robinson became the Dodgers’ manager in 1914 and left a larger than life imprint on the team, which was called the Robins during much of his 18-year managerial tenure. Yet, Uncle Robbie won more than a place in the hearts of players and fans. He won ball games, and twice won pennants (1916 and 1920) with teams not given a pre-season chance. He remained through 1931, running his club far differently than the despotic McGraw ran the Giants. The Dodgers were known for their easy-going ways. Because Robinson gave his roster of cast-offs and characters freedom, the team was a constant source of oddities and anecdotes. He had a gift for cadging winning performances from discarded pitchers, preferring hard throwers over curveball pitchers. Dazzy Vance, a fireballer who only achieved stardom after age thirty, was Robinson’s ace during the 1920s after Robinson gave him more rest between starts than was the norm in those days. Robinson asked his pitchers to hold the other team in check until his own hitters could win the game. He looked to Babe Herman, Jake Daubert, Zach Wheat, Casey Stengel, Jack Fournier and other batters to get a key hit. This simple approach kept the team in contention for many years and made them always entertaining.

Robinson is perhaps best known for a spring training incident. He vowed to outdo Gabby Street’s stunt of catching a ball dropped from the Washington Monument. He would catch a ball dropped from an airplane. The stunt was set up, but someone (many say it was Casey Stengel) substituted a grapefruit, which exploded on impact. With his eyes shut and his chest wringing wet, Robinson believed himself covered with his own blood until he heard his team laughing.

 

 

Factoids, Quotes, Milestones and Odd Facts

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Other Resources & Links

View Wilbert Robinson’s Page at the Baseball Hall of Fame (plaque, photos, videos).

View Player Info from the B-R Bullpen
View Player Bio from the SABR BioProject

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