Hall of Fame Pitcher Robin Roberts Dies at 83 - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Zoneboy · 05-06-2010, 12:08 PM

Member of 'Whiz Kid' Phillies was six-time 20-game winner

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Hall of Fame pitcher Robin Roberts, who spent 19 years in the big leagues, mostly with the Phillies, died on Thursday from natural causes in his Temple Terrace, Fla., home. He was 83.

Roberts broke in with Philadelphia at the age of 21 in June 1948 and proceeded to spend 14 seasons with the club. During his tenure there, he was named to seven consecutive All-Star teams and finished in the top 10 in MVP voting five times. He went 234-199 with the Phillies and finished his career, with the Cubs in 1966, with a record of 286-245.

Roberts won 20 games for the first time in 1950 as part of the Phillies' pennant-winning team commonly known as the "Whiz Kids" due to its collection of young stars. It was the only time Roberts appeared in a postseason.

While his best years were in Philadelphia, Roberts pitched for five more seasons, spending parts of four seasons with the Baltimore Orioles before moving on to the Astros and Cubs. When he called it a career, he had a 3.41 ERA and 2,357 strikeouts.

In addition to the seven All-Star teams from 1950-56, Roberts led the National League in wins four times and topped the league in strikeouts twice. He won 20 games six straight seasons, including a 28-victory season in 1952. Roberts had 45 career shutouts, though he had a reputation for giving up home runs -- his 505 homers allowed are the most given up by any Major League pitcher.

Roberts was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1976 and was a mainstay at the annual induction ceremonies. Roberts coached the University of South Florida baseball team from 1977-1985.

The Phillies said that there will be a moment of silence in Roberts' memory prior to Thursday's 1 p.m. ET home game against the Cardinals. They also said that a No. 36 Roberts jersey will hang in the team's dugout for the remainder of the season, players will wear No. 36 patches on the right sleeves of their uniforms beginning on Friday, and that the team's 1950 pennant at Citizens Bank Park will be hung at half-mast.

"Dad didn't miss a Phillies game on television, including [Wednesday] night," said his son, Jim. "He really loved this team and was so thrilled that he was included in the World Series festivities the last two years.

"He'd sit there and would comment, 'Did you see Jimmy make that play? ... Chase can really play this game ... My man Jayson is some kind of an athlete ... Did you see that change-up from Cole? ... How strong is Ryan? ... Roy makes pitching look so easy and it isn't ... I wish I had Brad's slider ... Shane can fly, can't he?"

Roberts is survived by four sons, Robin Jr., Dan, Rick and Jimmy; one brother, John; seven grandchildren and one great-grandson. Funeral arrangements are pending.

James · 05-06-2010, 01:42 PM

It's been a sad week for true baseball fans! First Ernie Harwell, now Robin Roberts!

Marvo301 · 05-06-2010, 10:12 PM

Robin Roberts

Tweety · 05-06-2010, 10:24 PM

Bill James pointed out (in the Historical Baseball Abstract) that Roberts was a "victim" of bad timing.

His system of rating players (Win Shares) shows that the best pitchers in the NL during the five years immediately prior to the creation of the first Cy Young Awards (which began in 1956), were:

1950 - Robin Roberts
1951 - Sal Maglie
1952 - Robin Roberts
1953 - Robin Roberts
1954 - Robin Roberts
1955 - Robin Roberts

Roberts probably threw as hard as Bob Feller, Walter Johnson or Bob Gibson, but most people don''t know that because he didn't strike out huge numbers of batters (although he did lead the NL in K's twice).

Hate to see the great old-timers go.

catlover79 · 05-07-2010, 12:05 AM

05-06-2010, 12:08 PM	#1
Zoneboy RIP, I'LL NEVER FORGET YOU :( Moderator Forum Superstar Join Date: Jul 13, 2003 Location: AT HOME WISHING ALL THIS WAS JUST A DREAM AND THAT I'LL WAKE UP FROM THIS NIGHTMARE. Posts: 34,499	Hall of Fame Pitcher Robin Roberts Dies at 83 Member of 'Whiz Kid' Phillies was six-time 20-game winner Link Hall of Fame pitcher Robin Roberts, who spent 19 years in the big leagues, mostly with the Phillies, died on Thursday from natural causes in his Temple Terrace, Fla., home. He was 83. Roberts broke in with Philadelphia at the age of 21 in June 1948 and proceeded to spend 14 seasons with the club. During his tenure there, he was named to seven consecutive All-Star teams and finished in the top 10 in MVP voting five times. He went 234-199 with the Phillies and finished his career, with the Cubs in 1966, with a record of 286-245. Roberts won 20 games for the first time in 1950 as part of the Phillies' pennant-winning team commonly known as the "Whiz Kids" due to its collection of young stars. It was the only time Roberts appeared in a postseason. While his best years were in Philadelphia, Roberts pitched for five more seasons, spending parts of four seasons with the Baltimore Orioles before moving on to the Astros and Cubs. When he called it a career, he had a 3.41 ERA and 2,357 strikeouts. In addition to the seven All-Star teams from 1950-56, Roberts led the National League in wins four times and topped the league in strikeouts twice. He won 20 games six straight seasons, including a 28-victory season in 1952. Roberts had 45 career shutouts, though he had a reputation for giving up home runs -- his 505 homers allowed are the most given up by any Major League pitcher. Roberts was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1976 and was a mainstay at the annual induction ceremonies. Roberts coached the University of South Florida baseball team from 1977-1985. The Phillies said that there will be a moment of silence in Roberts' memory prior to Thursday's 1 p.m. ET home game against the Cardinals. They also said that a No. 36 Roberts jersey will hang in the team's dugout for the remainder of the season, players will wear No. 36 patches on the right sleeves of their uniforms beginning on Friday, and that the team's 1950 pennant at Citizens Bank Park will be hung at half-mast. "Dad didn't miss a Phillies game on television, including [Wednesday] night," said his son, Jim. "He really loved this team and was so thrilled that he was included in the World Series festivities the last two years. "He'd sit there and would comment, 'Did you see Jimmy make that play? ... Chase can really play this game ... My man Jayson is some kind of an athlete ... Did you see that change-up from Cole? ... How strong is Ryan? ... Roy makes pitching look so easy and it isn't ... I wish I had Brad's slider ... Shane can fly, can't he?" Roberts is survived by four sons, Robin Jr., Dan, Rick and Jimmy; one brother, John; seven grandchildren and one great-grandson. Funeral arrangements are pending.
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05-06-2010, 10:12 PM	#3
Marvo301 I'm NOT a Blockhead! Forum Celebrity Join Date: May 17, 2002 Location: The Great White North Posts: 21,460	Robin Roberts
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05-06-2010, 10:24 PM	#4
Tweety Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Jan 18, 2002 Location: Florida Posts: 6,804	Bill James pointed out (in the Historical Baseball Abstract) that Roberts was a "victim" of bad timing. His system of rating players (Win Shares) shows that the best pitchers in the NL during the five years immediately prior to the creation of the first Cy Young Awards (which began in 1956), were: 1950 - Robin Roberts 1951 - Sal Maglie 1952 - Robin Roberts 1953 - Robin Roberts 1954 - Robin Roberts 1955 - Robin Roberts Roberts probably threw as hard as Bob Feller, Walter Johnson or Bob Gibson, but most people don''t know that because he didn't strike out huge numbers of batters (although he did lead the NL in K's twice). Hate to see the great old-timers go.
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05-07-2010, 12:05 AM	#5
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,392
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05-06-2010, 01:42 PM	#2
James Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Jan 07, 2001 Location: Dayton, Ohio, USA Posts: 6,370	It's been a sad week for true baseball fans! First Ernie Harwell, now Robin Roberts!