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Tribute to Frank Robinson, August 31, 1935- February 7, 2019
We learned of the passing of the great Hall of Famer Frank Robinson yesterday after a long battle with bone cancer. He was truly one of the all-time greats. In tribute to Robbie, I’d like to repost an article I wrote on him on December 1, 2016:
“When I was managing, I had no trouble communication…the players just didn’t like what I had to say.” -Frank Robinson
Sixty years ago yesterday, 21 year-old Frank Robinson was selected as the National League Rookie of the Year by unanimous vote. And what a rookie year it was! Named the All-Star starting left fielder, he hit .290, with a .379 on-base percentage, 122 runs, 27 doubles, and 83 RBIs. His 38 home runs tied Wally Berger’s 1930 record for the most by a rookie.
There’s no question that Frank Robinson was one of the greatest players in the history of the game. Robbie is the only player to win league MVP honors in both the National and American Leagues. His career stats are staggering. Over his 21 major league seasons (1956-’76) Robinson had a .294 batting average, with 2943 hits, 1829 runs, 528 doubles, 72 triples, 588 home runs (ninth all-time), 1812 RBIs, .389 OBP, and .537 slugging. Although his first MVP came in 1961, his best offensive year may have been 1962, when he hit .342 with 39 home runs, 51 doubles, 208 hits, 136 RBI and 134 runs.
Other career highlights include: 14-time All-Star, two World Series championships (1966 and ‘70), Gold Glove Winner (1958), All-Star Game MVP (1971), and American League Manager of the Year (1989). His No. 20 has been retired by both the Reds and Orioles.
Frank Robinson’s great Triple Crown season of 1966 was certainly one of the best individual seasons ever. Reds owner Bill DeWitt sent Robinson to Baltimore in exchange for pitcher Milt Pappas and two others. The trade is considered among the most lopsided in baseball history, especially as Robinson was only 30 years old and appeared to have many productive years ahead of him. To put it mildly, I think it’s fair to say Baltimore got the better end of this deal.
All Robinson did in 1966 is lead the American League with a .316 batting average, 49 home runs (the most ever by a right-handed Triple Crown winner) and 122 RBIs. But that hardly tells the story of this remarkable season. He led the American League in virtually every offensive category: 122 runs, .410 on-base percentage, and an incredible .637 slugging average. He also led the league in total bases with 367. It’s frightening to think how good the “Big Red Machine” of the 1970’s would have been if this deal had never been made.
On May 8, 1966, Robinson became the only player ever to hit a home run completely out of Memorial Stadium. The shot came off Luis Tiant against the Indians. Until the Orioles’ move to Camden Yards in 1991, a flag labeled “HERE” was flown at the spot where the ball left the stadium.
The Orioles won the 1966 World Series and Robinson was named the Series MVP. In the Orioles’ four-game sweep of the defending champion Dodgers, Robinson hit two home runs, the second coming in Game Four, the only run in a 1–0 series-clinching victory.
Frank Robinson was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1982. In 1999, Robinson ranked 22nd on The Sporting News list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players. He was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.
-Gary Livacari
Photo Credits: The Greats of the Game, by Ray Robinson; and Public Domain
Information: Excerpts edited from the Frank Robinson Wikipedia page
Statistics form the Frank Robinson Wikipedia page
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