Brooks Robinson

After some games in the minor leagues, Robinson made his first appearance with the Orioles on September 17, 1955 at Memorial Stadium against the Washington Senators, batting sixth in the lineup. He had two hits in four at bats, singling in the fourth inning against Chuck Stobbs for his first hit before driving in a run on a single in the eighth inning in the 3–1 win.[22][23] After that, he went hitless in his next 18 at bats before sitting for the season's final two games.[22] After the season, the Orioles assigned him to the Willard Blues, a Colombian winter league team where Baltimore sent some of its best prospects.[24] Earl Wilson hit Robinson in the head with a pitch in one of the games, but Robinson's batting helmet protected him.[25]

In 1956, Robinson was allowed to stay in spring training with the Orioles until March 21, but Baltimore acquired Bobby Adams to play third base, thinking the 18-year-old Robinson was not quite ready for the major leagues.[26] He spent most of the year with the Class AA San Antonio Missions, where he tore cartilage in his right knee while sliding into a base in August. The injury was initially feared to require surgery, but rest and heat reduced the swelling, and he only missed a few games.[27] Promoted to Baltimore after the minor league season, he appeared in 15 games, demonstrating fielding ability beyond his years though he only batted .227.[28]

Robinson competed with future Hall of Famer George Kell to be Baltimore's everyday third baseman in 1957, though Kell happily mentored the younger player.[29] Both made the starting lineup (Robinson at third base, Kell at first), but two weeks into the season, Robinson completely tore the cartilage in his knee while swerving to avoid a tag at first base.[30] He missed all of May and spent most of June rehabbing in San Antonio but regained the starting job when he returned.[31] On August 2, he was again hit in the head with a pitch, this time by Ned Garver; he got a concussion but only missed five days.[32] On August 14, Pedro Ramos threw him a pitch that he turned into his first major league home run.[33] In 50 games, he batted .239.[34] Because of the time he had missed, the Orioles had him play winter baseball again to continue his development. This time in Havana, he led the league with nine home runs.[35]

When the Orioles played the New York Yankees in late April 1958, Yogi Berra said that Robinson had "got a great future" after the third baseman dove to catch a Gil McDougald ground ball, stood up, and still threw out Berra trying to score.[36] Offensively, Robinson batted .406 through April. Towards midseason, he developed a hitch in his swing and started hitting too many pop flies. In August, he began losing playing time to Dick Williams due to the slump. He helped Hoyt Wilhelm throw a no-hitter on September 28 by making several terrific fielding plays.[37] In 145 games, he batted .238 with three home runs in 463 at bats, weak offensive numbers, but his defense was more impressive. "I think Brooks is in a class by himself as a defensive third baseman," said Oriole manager Paul Richards.[38]

Following the 1958 season, Robinson served six months in the Arkansas National Guard, which spared him the risk of being drafted by the United States military and having to serve continuously for two years.[17][39][40] The service kept him from being in optimal baseball shape, and shortly after the 1959 season started, Robinson was sent to the Vancouver Mounties of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League.[41] On May 17, he had a scary moment when, as he fell into a Capilano Stadium dugout to catch a ball, he caught his right biceps on a hook, tearing tendons and creating severe bleeding. The injury just missed tearing a nerve, which would have ended his career, but he only had to miss 25 games.[42] Fulfilling a promise he made when he demoted Robinson, Richards recalled him at the All-Star break.[43] The time in the minors had helped his hitting; biographer Doug Wilson wrote that "He was no longer overmatched by big league pitchers."[44] He batted .284 in 88 games, and Richards said that he was "the best player in the American League [for] the last five weeks of the season."[2][45]

Robinson in 1963

By 1960, Robinson was unquestionably the Oriole third baseman.[46] He started the year in the sixth slot in the batting lineup but ascended to third after batting .333 in June and .351 in July.[47] In July, he was selected to his first of 18 straight Major League Baseball All-Star Games; he would be a part of both games from 1960–62, in which two games a year were played.[2][48] On July 15, he recorded five hits in five at bats, including a home run and three RBI in a 5–2 victory over the Chicago White Sox.[49] For the first time since their arrival in Baltimore, the Orioles were contenders for the AL pennant, part of a three-way race with the Yankees and the White Sox as September arrived. In the first game of an early September series against the Yankees in Baltimore, Robinson had the first RBI, then fielded a ball hit off of Milt Pappas's leg in the ninth and threw out Hector Lopez at first base.[50] He drove in the only runs in the second game, in which the Orioles took over first place in the AL on September 3.[51] Baltimore swept the series, but a fever briefly hospitalized Robinson at the end of the series, and he went into a batting slump.[52] After getting swept in a four-game series against New York later in the month, Baltimore finished in second.[53] In 152 games, Robinson batted .294 and hit 14 home runs.[2] He finished third in AL Most Valuable Player (MVP) voting, was named the Most Valuable Oriole by sportscasters and sportswriters around Baltimore, and won his first of 16 consecutive Gold Glove Awards at third base.[54]

For most of 1961, Robinson batted first in Baltimore's lineup.[55] He further solidified his defensive reputation in 1961; sportswriter Bob Addie reported, "The 'young old-timers' in the press box are beginning to compare Baltimore's Brooks Robinson with the great third basemen of the past."[56] One of two players in the AL to appear in every game of the season, he batted .287 with 192 hits (second in the league only to Norm Cash's 193) and seven home runs.[2][55]

After two straight second-place finishes, the Orioles slumped to seventh place in the league in 1962, but Robinson had another fine year.[57] In consecutive games on May 6 and 9, Robinson hit a grand slam, one of six major leaguers to ever do so at the time.[58][59] Sports Illustrated proclaimed him "the best third baseman in the league."[58] He batted higher than .300 for the first time (.303) and topped 20 home runs (23), recording 86 RBI.[58] He did not perform as well offensively in 1963, batting just .219 after the All-Star break and seeing a streak of 462 consecutive games played come to an end when manager Billy Hitchcock benched him hoping to improve his hitting.[60] For the year, he batted .251 with 11 home runs and 67 RBI.[2]

Robinson spent extra time in 1964 spring training practicing offense with hitting coach Gene Woodling.[61] The coach encouraged Robinson to stop swinging at bad pitches, and Robinson started using a slightly heavier bat.[62] Against the Yankees early in the year, he made what Wilson said "was generally agreed to be the play of the year," diving to stop a hard-hit ground ball off the bat of Bobby Richardson and throwing him out while still seated on the ground.[63] With the Orioles, Yankees, and White Sox in a three-way race for the pennant on September 7, Robinson batted .464 with 28 RBI in the season's final games, though the Orioles again finished behind the Yankees.[64] Maxwell Kates of the Society for American Baseball Research said "Robinson had perhaps his best season in 1964."[65] In 163 games, Robinson hit for a .318 batting average with 28 home runs. He led the league with 118 RBI, winning the AL MVP Award.[2][66] For much of 1965, Robinson batted over .300 again, though his average fell to .297 by the end of the year.[67]

During the 1965–66 offseason, the Orioles acquired former National League (NL) MVP Frank Robinson from the Cincinnati Reds; Frank would bat third in the lineup, right in front of Brooks.[68] Halfway through the year, Brooks had 70 RBI.[69] In the All-Star Game, he made several outstanding defensive plays and recorded three hits, getting named the game's MVP even though the AL lost 2–1.[70][71] Over 28 games in August, he struggled, batting .187 with just three RBI.[72] Still, the Orioles clinched the AL pennant on September 15 for the first time in Robinson's tenure with the team.[73] In 157 games, Robinson batted .269 with 23 home runs and 100 RBI, his second (and final) season with at least 100 RBI.[2] He finished second to Frank, that year's Triple Crown winner, in the AL MVP voting; teammate Boog Powell came in third.[74][75][76]

1966 baseball card of Robinson

Against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series, Frank and Brooks hit back-to-back home runs off of Don Drysdale in Game 1, a 5–2 victory.[77] In Game 4, the Orioles nursed a 1–0 lead in the fifth inning when Jim Lefebvre led off with a single. The next batter, Wes Parker, hit a ground ball that Robinson had to stretch to catch. After stumbling, Robinson threw the ball to second baseman Davey Johnson, who threw out Parker at first base to complete a double play.[78] The score remained 1–0 through the end of the game, and the Orioles completed a four-game sweep of the Dodgers for Baltimore's first World Series championship.[79] A picture of Robinson leaping into the air as he ran to the pitcher's mound to congratulate Dave McNally after the game remains one of the most iconic Oriole photos.[80] After the season, he and multiple other baseball celebrities went on a tour of Vietnam, visiting US troops stationed there during the Vietnam War.[81]

In 1967 spring training, Phil Niekro hit Robinson in the head with a pitch, causing a mild concussion.[82] Robinson slumped early in the year but improved towards the end of June, posting 17 hits over 39 at bats in one 10-game stretch, including five home runs.[83] On August 6, he hit into a triple play for the fourth time in his career, a major league record.[84] "I wouldn't mind seeing someone erase my record of hitting into four triple plays," he said.[85] Towards the end of the year, he went hitless in 49 out of 51 at bats.[86] In 158 games, he batted .269 with 22 home runs and 77 RBI.[2] He played all 162 games for the Orioles in 1968, batting .253 with 17 home runs and 75 RBI.[2]

Through May 1969, Robinson batted .216, only raising his average to .234 by the end of the year.[2][87] Manager Earl Weaver attributed his struggles to swinging at bad pitches, as well as his slow pace, which prevented him from getting as many infield hits.[87] On August 13, he had three RBI in an 8–0 victory over the Oakland Athletics, including his 193rd career home run against George Lauzerique, which broke Al Rosen's record for most home runs by an AL third baseman.[88][89][90] Robinson hit 23 home runs and drove in 84 runs, and the Orioles won the newly created AL East division to advance to the postseason.[91]

In Game 1 of the AL Championship Series (ALCS) versus the Minnesota Twins, Robinson had four hits in Baltimore's 4–3 win.[92] He gloved a hard-hit line drive off the bat of Rod Carew in Game 3, an 11–2 victory that clinched the Orioles a trip to the World Series to face the New York Mets.[93] During Game 1, Rod Gaspar hit a slow, bouncing ball towards third base that both Gaspar and pitcher Mike Cuellar thought would be a hit. Robinson caught it barehanded and threw it to first before he had fully stood up, retiring Gaspar as the Orioles went on to win 4–1.[94] He made a similar play to keep Jerry Grote from getting a hit in Game 2 and had an RBI single against Jerry Koosman, but Baltimore lost 2–1.[95] With the Orioles trailing the Mets 1–0 in the ninth inning of Game 4, Robinson batted against Tom Seaver with runners on first and third and one out. He sent the ball towards right field but was robbed of a hit when Ron Swoboda made a diving catch; Wilson wrote that the catch "is one of the all-time great plays in World Series history."[96] Baltimore lost 2–1 in 10 innings, then went on to lose the series in five games.[97]

Robinson started using a heavier bat in 1970, which he attributed to an improved start to the season, as he batted .311 in April.[88] On May 9, he hit his 200th home run.[88] His 2,000th hit came on June 20, a three-run home run that provided the margin of victory in a game against the Washington Senators.[88] Against the Red Sox on September 4, he recorded five hits, two home runs, and four RBI in an 8–6 victory.[98] Robinson had his highest batting average (.276) and RBI (94) totals since 1966, adding 18 home runs as the Orioles again won the AL East.[88]

In the ALCS, against the Twins, Robinson batted .583 with three runs scored and two RBI as Baltimore completed the sweep, sending them to the World Series against the Cincinnati Reds.[99][100] With Game 1 tied at 3–3 in the sixth inning, Lee May hit a one-hop ball fair past third. Playing behind the base, Robinson lunged, backhanded the ball, spun 180 degrees, and made a one-hop toss to first that narrowly beat May to the bag. Years later, Jayson Stark of ESPN considered this the third-greatest play of all time.[101] Against Gary Nolan in the seventh inning, Robinson's solo home run provided the winning margin in Baltimore's 4–3 triumph.[102] During Game 2, he darted into the gap between him and shortstop Mark Belanger to field a ground ball hit by Bobby Tolan in the first inning. Throwing sidearm to second, he forced out Pete Rose.[103] Then, in the third, he snagged a hard line drive off May's back, whirling and throwing almost immediately to second to start a double play that ended the inning. Baltimore won the game 6–5.[104] He made an over-the-head catch of a bouncing ball off of Tony Pérez's bat in the first inning of Game 3, outracing Rose to third base and throwing to first to start a double play.[105] Fielding a slow grounder hit by Tommy Helms in the second inning, Robinson partially circled the ball before picking it up, allowing him to throw to first on a better angle. He dove to his left to rob Johnny Bench of a hit in the sixth inning, barely holding onto a hard line drive. Offensively, he had two RBI in Baltimore's 9–3 win.[106] In Game 4, he had four hits and a home run, though Baltimore lost 6–5.[107] Finally, in Game 5, he made a diving back-handed catch of a line drive off of Bench's bat in the ninth, as Baltimore won the game 9–3 to clinch their second World Series victory.[108] Though Robinson batted .429 with two home runs in the series, his defensive prowess was what really stood out, as he started two double plays and fielded 23 chances while making several outstanding plays.[99][109] His performance won him the World Series MVP Award.[75] During the Series, Reds manager Sparky Anderson quipped, "I'm beginning to see Brooks in my sleep. If I dropped this paper plate, he'd pick it up on one hop and throw me out at first."[110] "I've never seen anything like him in my life," Rose said.[111] "He has to be the greatest third baseman of all time," said Pérez, who played the same position. "I just enjoy watching him play. He's in the right place every time."[112] Wilson wrote that Robinson's outstanding play in the series, which was televised nationally, helped his ability to be appreciated by baseball fans outside the Baltimore area.[113] After the season, he won the Hickok Belt, presented annually to the top professional athlete of the year.[114]

Before the 1971 season, Robinson signed a $100,000 contract, becoming only one of 12 players with such a high baseball salary at the time.[115] He played 50 games in a row without committing an error and received the most votes of AL players in the All-Star Game.[116] On July 28, he uncharacteristically made three errors in a game, though Baltimore still won 3–2. Wilson pointed out, "men had literally walked on the moon before Brooks Robinson had made three errors in a game."[117] In 156 games, he batted .272, hitting 20 home runs and driving in 92 runs as he finished fourth in AL MVP voting.[2]

For the third year in a row, the Orioles won the AL East.[118] In Game 2 of the ALCS against the Athletics, Robinson hit a home run against Catfish Hunter.[119] He had two RBI in Game 3 and batted .364 in the series as Baltimore swept the Athletics, advancing them to the World Series where they would face the Pittsburgh Pirates.[99] In Game 2, Robinson had three RBI and reached base safely five times, joining Babe Ruth and Lou Brock as the only other players to do so. During the eighth inning, he landed on his chest after diving for a bouncing ball off the bat of Manny Sanguillén, but he stood up in time to throw the runner out. Baltimore won 11–3.[118] After the Pirates got two baserunners in the first inning of Game 3, Robinson snagged a hard line drive off the bat of Bob Robertson, throwing to second for a double play. Baltimore would lose that game 5–1.[120] With the Orioles facing elimination in Game 6, Robinson hit a 10th-inning sacrifice fly against Bob Miller that scored the winning run in a 3–2 victory.[120] He batted .318 in the series and tied with other Orioles and Pirates for the most RBI in the series (five), but Pittsburgh defeated the Orioles in seven games.[121]

Robinson served as the Major League Baseball Players Association player's representative for much of his career with the Orioles.[122] In 1972, he and Belanger were among the 47 who voted in favor of the 1972 Major League Baseball strike. "I want to play," Robinson told reporters. "All players do. It all boils down to whether the owners are willing to make some concessions. I think our fellows are willing to make some, too, and that seems to be the best chance."[123] The strike only wound up cancelling games on 10 days of the 1972 season, but Robinson was booed in his first at bat of the year at Memorial Stadium.[124]

In 153 games in 1972, Robinson batted .250. His eight home runs and 64 RBI were his lowest totals in those categories since 1961.[2] However, he still won the Commissioner's Award, presented annually to the individual who best represented baseball as a player and as a person.[125]

Robinson during his final season

Robinson hit two home runs on Opening Day in 1973, but his batting average was under .200 by the middle of June.[126] He still made the All-Star Game, but sportswriters observed that his selection had more to do with popularity than it did with his performance that season.[126] On May 4, he had his 2,417th career hit, breaking Pie Traynor's record for most hits by a third baseman.[126][127] Defensively, he started two 5-4-3 triple plays; one on July 7 against the Athletics, and one on September 20 against the Detroit Tigers.[128][129] In the season's final two-and-a-half months, he batted nearly .300.[126] He played 155 games, batting .257 with nine home runs and 72 RBI as the Orioles returned to the playoffs after a one-year absence.[2][126] In the ALCS against Oakland, he batted .250 with a run scored and two RBI as the Athletics defeated Baltimore in five games.[2]

Though Robinson made more errors than usual in 1974, he was batting .311 at the All-Star break.[130] In the second-to-last game of the year, Robinson scored from first on a pinch-hit double by Andy Etchebarren. The run provided the margin of victory in a game that, coupled with a Yankee loss later that day, made the Orioles AL East champions.[131] Robinson batted .288 with seven home runs. His batting average was the best it had been since 1965, though his RBI total was at its lowest since 1959.[2] The Orioles again faced the Athletics in the ALCS; in Game 1, Robinson dove to catch a ball hit by Dick Green, then threw him out at first, adding a solo home run in Baltimore's 6–1 win.[132] He would bat just .083 in the series, which Oakland won in four games.[2][132]

Plagued by a sore thumb and declining ability in 1975, Robinson missed the All-Star Game for the first time since 1960. His batting average was .159 at one point, and on July 7, a pinch-hitter was substituted for him for the first time since 1958.[133] In 144 games, he batted .201 with six home runs and 53 RBI.[2] On the bright side, he led AL third basemen in fielding percentage for the 11th time.[134]

The Orioles had a young third base prospect named Doug DeCinces, and on May 17, 1976, Weaver informed Robinson that DeCinces would be taking over his position; though still a fine fielder, Robinson was only batting .165.[135] Robinson requested a trade to a team that would give him more playing time and was nearly sent to the White Sox, but he vetoed the deal because Chicago did not want to give him a contract through 1978.[136] In 71 games, he batted .211 with three home runs and 11 RBI.[2] 1977 would be his final season; his playing time was infrequent.[2][137] He made his final batting appearance on August 5 at Anaheim Stadium, pinch hitting for Belanger in the top of the eighth inning and lining out.[138][139] However, he would play briefly in one more game, eight days later at Memorial Stadium against the Athletics. He entered as a pinch hitter for Al Bumbry against the left-handed Bob Lacey. When Oakland manager Bobby Winkles replaced Lacey with right-hander Doug Bair, Weaver replaced Robinson with left-handed Tony Muser before the at bat even started.[139][140] With the Orioles needing another roster spot when Rick Dempsey returned from the disabled list, Robinson retired on August 21, with more than a month to go in the season.[141]