On February 7 2019 — Hall of Famer Frank Robinson, a member of the 500 Home Run Club, a Triple Crown winner, the first player to win the MVP Award in both leagues, and the first African-American manager in major league history, passes away in hospice care in Los Angeles, CA at the age of 83. He was also a senior executive for Major League Baseball and was still serving as the honorary President of the American League. Robinson was one of the greatest players in MLB history, he was an All-Star in 12 seasons, won 2 MVP Awards, won a Triple Crown in 1966, won the NL Rookie of the Year Award in 1956, won a Gold Glove Award in 1958, and was on 2 World Series champions (1966, 1970 Baltimore Orioles), winning the World Series MVP Award in 1966. His uniform #20 is retired by the Orioles, Cincinnati Reds, and Cleveland Indians. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1982 (89.2% on the 1st ballot).

Robinson had a very prominent post-playing career. Most notably, he became the first Black manager in MLB history in 1975 (with the Indians). He won the AL Manager of the Year Award in 1989 (with the Orioles).

In his amazing 21-year playing career (1956-1976), Frank had 2,943 hits, 586 HR, 528 doubles, 204 SB, 1,812 RBI, 1,829 runs, 1,420 BB, .294 BA, .389 OBP, .537 Slg., & .926 OPS.

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Classic Baseball Broadcasts

Classic Baseball Broadcasts

When he posed for his 1959 Topps baseball card, Lew Burdette grabbed teammate Warren Spahn’s glove and pretended to be a lefty. Topps missed the joke and printed the card with the error.

Burdette would sign his name “Lewis” on his contracts, and would alternate between “Lou” and “Lew” for autograph-seekers. He said he really didn’t care how his first name (which was actually his middle name) was spelled.

Years before Mark Fidrych became famous for talking to the baseball, Lew Burdette used the same antics to psych himself up on the mound. Often accused of throwing a spitball, Burdette never bothered to refute that charge, and used the paranoia to his advantage. In the 1957 World Series, he shut out the New York Yankees twice in four days to give the Milwaukee Braves their only World Championship.

Lew Burdette

On October 10, 1957, Burdette shut out the Yankees for the second time in four days. He was the first pitcher in 37 years to win three complete games in a single WS and the first since Christy Mathewson (1905) to throw two shutouts in a single Series. The win gave Milwaukee the world championship and earned Burdette Series MVP honors.

Hall of Fame lefty Warren Spahn and righthander Burdette gave the Braves a formidable one-two punch, with 443 victories between them in 13 seasons. A slider and sinkerball pitcher, Burdette was widely accused of throwing a spitball as well. His constant fidgeting on the mound fed that suspicion; it didn’t indicate nervousness. Teammate Gene Conley said, “Lew had ice water in his veins. Nothing bothered him, on or off the mound. He was a chatterbox out there … He would talk to himself, to the batter, the umpire, and sometimes even to the ball.”

Besides winning 20 games in 1958 and 21 in ’59, Burdette won 19 twice and 18 once. His 2.70 ERA topped the NL in 1956. In two All-Star Games, he allowed only one run in seven innings. He no-hit the Phillies on August 18, 1960.

On May 26, 1959, he was the winning pitcher when Pittsburgh’s Harvey Haddix hurled 12 perfect innings against the Braves, only to lose in the 13th. That winter, the puckish Burdette asked for a $10,000 raise, explaining: “I’m the greatest pitcher that ever lived. The greatest game that was ever pitched in baseball wasn’t good enough to beat me, so I’ve got to be the greatest!”

“My best pitches were a sinker and slider,” Burdette said. “I’d move the ball in and out. I always tried to keep it down. I was always being accused of throwing at the hitters. Early Wynn always said that he was the meanest pitcher in the American League, and I was the meanest in the National League.” — Sports Collectors Digest, September 4, 1998

"I'm the greatest pitcher that ever lived. The greatest game that was ever pitched in baseball wasn't good enough to beat me, so I've got to be the greatest!" - Lew Burdette, 1959

""There should be 3 pitching statistics for Burdette: Wins, Losses, and Relative Humidity." - Red Smith, The New York Times

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Classic Baseball Broadcasts

Classic Baseball Broadcasts

Born: Sunday, February 05, 1928 in Roulette, PA USA

He was the kind of player who’s worth doesn’t always show up in the box score, but yet his determination and aggressiveness to win made him one of the most valuable players on the world championship of 1960. Don Hoak, nicknamed Tiger by Dodger pitcher Clem Labine because he was always starting fights, was a solid fielder who twice led the circuit in fielding percentage at third base who also would contribute at the plate, hitting over .280 in three of his four seasons with the Bucs.

Many players felt he was such an important cog to the club’s championship run. Cy Young Award winner Vern Law felt his fighting spirit rubbed off on everyone helped push the club over the hump to the title, while legendary reliever Roy Face thought he was the most underrated player on the team. What ever it was, Hoak definitely wanted to fit the tough boy persona. He was a Marine in World War II where he saw some action in the Pacific theater and also spent sometime as a boxer in the middleweight division and his tough image was something he prided himself on.

Tiger came up with the Dodgers in 1954 and was part of their memorable 1955 world championship team, the only title that the legendary team from Brooklyn would win. He was dealt to the Cubs the year after where he hit .215 and went on his way Cincinnati in 1957. It was there that his career finally started to take shape as he led the senior circuit in doubles with 39 and fielding percentage with a .971 mark while hitting career highs in both homers 19, and RBI’s with 89. Hoak was named to his one and only selection in the mid –summer classic that year. Don slumped in 1958 and was dealt to the Bucs along with Smoky Burgess and Harvey Haddix in a seven-player deal that many felt was the final piece in the Pirate 1960 championship machine.

In 1959, Tiger proved that his .261 average in 1958 was just a fluke as he broke .290 for the first time when he hit .294, before moving into his best all around season in the Steel City. Hoak would show a rare glimpse of power during that magical season, hitting 16 homers to go with 79 RBI’s and a .282 average. While his numbers were good, it was his grit, determination and leadership that found him finishing second to teammate Dick Groat in the National League Most Valuable Player voting ahead of such Hall of Famers as Willie Mays, Ernie Banks, Roberto Clemente and Eddie Mathews.

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Classic Baseball Broadcasts

Classic Baseball Broadcasts