Pitching great Robin Roberts died this morning of natural causes at age 83 in his Florida home. Roberts, signed by the Phillies in 1948, spent 14 years with Philadelphia. A righthanded pitcher whose great fastball was matched by his control, he was part of the 1950 Whiz Kids, who lost the World Series that year to the New York Yankees. Leading the National League by one game, the Phillies played the second-place Dodgers in Brooklyn on the final day of the season. Roberts, pitching for the third time in five days, threw 10 innings and got the win, for his first 20-game winning season. With the Phillies, Roberts had a 234-199 record. Six years in a row, from 1950 to 1955, Roberts won 20 games or more each season. In 1952, he won a career-high 28 games; he led the National League in wins from 1952 to 1955. The six-foot, 190-pound righty defined the term "workhorse", pitching 305 complete games in his career. He once pitched 28 complete games in a row.
Roberts retired in 1966 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1976. The winningest righty in Phillies' history, he is commemorated at the ballpark with a statue outside the first base entrance. He was also a familiar presence at spring training and at the ballpark. By all accounts, he was not only an outstanding pitcher but also a warm, wonderful man. He remained an active fan of the Phillies and of baseball. He particularly loved this current team and liked to talk baseball with them. He had a special fondness for Jayson Werth; both he and Werth were born in Springfield, Illinois.
According to his family, Robin Roberts enjoyed last night's game on television. I was at the park for it, and I'm now doubly happy that it was a good one. I'll remember it always.
The teddy bear shown is a Cooperstown version of #36.
