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Robin Roberts

Robin Roberts is one of the former baseball players who hold the honor of being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Roberts was born on September 30, 1926 in the Springfield suburb of Illinois. He was only 21 years old when he broke into the big leagues on June 18, 1948 with the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team. He batted and threw with right hand and listed a height of 6 feet with a weight of 190 pounds. He played his first professional game on 18 June, 1948 and last game on 29 August, 1966.

Roberts was disappointed when assigned to Wilmington of the Inter State League in his first professional season of 1948. However, his stint with the Wilmington did not last long as he was recalled by the Phillies team in June when he compiled an impressive 9-1 record. In his first full season, Roberts won 15 games and helped pitch the Phillies to their first pennant in 35 years compiling 20-11 mark in 1950. When he won his 20th game on the final day of the season at Brooklyn, in a pennant-deciding, 10-inning game, he became the Phillies' first 20 game winner since Grover Alexander in 1917.

Roberts won 20 games six straight years, from the 1950 to 1955 seasons, with league highs in wins for four straight, starting in 1952, when he went to compile 28-7. Six times he led the National League games and five times in complete games and innings pitched. After compiling a 1-10 mark in 1961, Roberts was sold to the Yankees, but was released in April 1962, without pitching an inning. Later, he signed a contract with the Baltimore team and had a winning record there for three years. He lasted with them till the mid 1965 season when he was traded to the Houston team and again moved to the Cubs in 1966.

Roberts was able to get the outs he needed with men in scoring position, and he helped himself as a fielder and at the plate. He never had any equal as a fielder, base runner and batsman, combined with heady work of a quality.

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