Frank Robinson (August 31, 1935 – February 7, 2019), nicknamed "the Judge", was an American professionalbaseballoutfielder andmanager inMajor League Baseball (MLB) who played for five teams over 21 seasons: theCincinnati Reds (1956–1965),Baltimore Orioles (1966–1971),Los Angeles Dodgers (1972),California Angels (1973–1974), andCleveland Indians (1974–1976). In 1975, Robinson became the firstBlack manager in big-league history, as theplayer-manager of the Indians.
The first player to be namedMost Valuable Player (MVP) of both theNational League (NL) and theAmerican League (AL), Robinson was named the NL MVP after leading the Cincinnati Reds to the pennant in1961 and was named the AL MVP in1966 with the Baltimore Orioles after winning theTriple Crown; Robinson's 49home runs (HR) that year tied for the most by any AL player between1962 and1989, and stood as a franchise record for 30 years. He helped lead the Orioles to the first twoWorld Series titles in franchise history in1966 and1970, and was named theSeries MVP in 1966 after leading the Orioles to a four-game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
A 14-timeAll-Star, Robinson batted .300 nine times, hit 30 home runs 11 times, and led his league inslugging four times and inruns scored three times. His 586 career home runs ranked fourth in major league history at the time of his retirement, and he ranked sixth intotal bases (5,373) andextra-base hits (1,186), eighth ingames played (2,808), and ninth in runs scored (1,829). His 2,943 careerhits are the most since1934 by any player who fell short of the3,000-hit mark. He was elected to theBaseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in1982.[1]
After managing the Indians, Robinson went on to manage theSan Francisco Giants, Baltimore Orioles, andMontreal Expos /Washington Nationals. For most of the last two decades of his life, Robinson served in various executive positions for Major League Baseball concluding his career as honorary president of the American League.[2]
Robinson was born inBeaumont, Texas. He was the youngest of Ruth Shaw's ten children and the only child of her marriage to Frank Robinson.[3] His parents divorced when he was an infant, and his mother moved with her children toAlameda, California, and then to theWest Oakland neighborhood of nearbyOakland.[4] He attendedMcClymonds High School in Oakland where he was abasketball teammate ofBill Russell. He was a baseball teammate ofVada Pinson andCurt Flood.[5] He also playedAmerican Legion Baseball.[4]
In 1953,Bobby Mattick, ascout for theCincinnati Reds, signed Robinson to a contract worth $3,500 ($41,134 in current dollar terms).[4] He made his professional debut for theOgden Reds of the Class CPioneer League. He batted .348 with 17 home runs and 83runs batted in (RBI) in 72 games played.[6] He was promoted to theTulsa Oilers of theClass AATexas League in 1954, but was demoted to theColumbia Reds of theClass ASouth Atlantic League. He returned to Columbia in 1955.[4]
Robinson made his major league debut on April 17,1956 at the age of 20.[7] After posting 11 consecutive losing seasons, the Reds surprised their opposition by jumping to first place at the mid-point of the 1956 season. Robinson led the team with 18 home runs at mid-season, earning him the role as starting left fielder for the National League in the1956 All-Star Game.[4][8] The Reds stayed in the pennant race until the last day of the season, ending up with a 91–63 record, two games behind theBrooklyn Dodgers.[9]
Robinson ended the 1956 season with a .290batting average and 83 RBIs, and his 38 home runs tied the Major League Baseball record for home runs hit by a Rookie player previously set byWally Berger in1930.[7][10] His rookie home run record stood for 31 years when it was broken byMark McGwire's 49 home runs in1987.[10] His impressive power hitting display earned him the1956 National LeagueRookie of the Year Award.[11]
In1957, the Reds were once again in first place at mid-season when, Robinson and six of his Redleg teammates—Ed Bailey,Johnny Temple,Don Hoak,Gus Bell,Wally Post andRoy McMillan—were voted into the National League starting lineup for the1957 All-Star Game. An investigation launched byCommissionerFord C. Frick found that the majority of the ballots cast had come from Cincinnati as the result of aballot stuffing campaign by Reds fans.[12]
Frick allowed Robinson to remain on the team while Bell and Post were replaced on the NL starting roster by outfieldersHank Aaron andWillie Mays.[12] Bell remained as a reserve player, but Post was removed from the roster altogether.[12] Subsequently, Frick suspended fans' All-Star game voting rights until they were eventually restored in1970.[12] The Reds faltered after the All-Star break and dropped to fourth place in the season final standings.
Robinson earned the 1957Associated Press National League Sophomore-of-the-Year award by improving his batting average to .322, tying him with Hank Aaron for third place in the1957 NL batting championship race behind future Hall of Fame membersStan Musial (.366) and Willie Mays (.333).[13][14] He credited manager,Birdie Tebbetts for his performance saying, "He kept after me all year and that's what a young ball player needs."[13] In1958, Robinson would win the onlyGold Glove Award of his career however, his batting average dropped to .269 as the Reds fell to last place in the National League, prompting Tebbetts to announce his resignation on August 14.[7][15][16] In1959, Robinson improved to a .311 batting average along with 36 home runs and 125 RBIs in 146 games.[7] He also enjoyed a productive1960, batting .297 with 31 home runs and 83 RBIs in 139 games. That year, Robinson led the major leagues inslugging percentage (.595) andon-base plus slugging (1.002), and also ranked first in the NL inhit by pitches (nine).[7]
In1961, Robinson moved to right field and produced another strong offensive season.[4] In July he batted .409, hit 13 home runs, and drove in 34 runs to winNL Player of the Month Award, and finished the season with a .323 batting average with 37 home runs and 124 RBIs in 153 games, helping to propel the Reds to the1961National League pennant.[7][17] His performance earned him the 1961 National LeagueMost Valuable Player Award.[18] In the1961 World Series against theNew York Yankees, Robinson had a lackluster performance, producing only three hits as the Reds fell to the Yankees in five games.[19]
Robinson hit a career-high .342 in1962, just four points behind the NL batting champion,Tommy Davis.[20] He also led the league inruns scored (134),doubles (51),on-base percentage (.421), slugging percentage (.624) and on-base plus slugging (1.045).[20] Robinson's season totals for runs scored, doubles, RBIs (136) and on-base percentage were also career-highs.[7]
Robinson was noted as a fiercely aggressive player. HespikedJohnny Logan in 1957, causing Logan to miss six weeks. In a game against theMilwaukee Braves on August 15, 1960, Robinson slid hard into third base, prompting a fistfight with Milwaukee's future Hall of Fame third baseman,Eddie Mathews.[21]
On December 9, 1965, Reds ownerBill DeWitt traded Robinson to theBaltimore Orioles in exchange forpitcherMilt Pappas, pitcherJack Baldschun, and outfielderDick Simpson.[7] The trade turned out to be very lopsided. DeWitt, who had a slew of successful trades including his time asgeneral manager in Detroit and the early 1960s rebuilding the Reds, famously referred to Robinson as "not a young 30" after the trade. The Reds led the NL in offense in 1965 and needed pitching. Pappas, who was a consistent performer in Baltimore was a major disappointment in Cincinnati while Robinson had continued success in Baltimore.[22] In Robinson's first year in Baltimore, he won theTriple Crown, leading the American League with a .316 batting average (then the lowest ever by a Triple Crown winner), a career high 49 home runs (the most ever by a right-handed Triple crown winner) and 122 RBIs in 155 games.[7] On May 8, 1966, Robinson became the only player ever to hit a home run completely out ofMemorial Stadium.[23] The shot came off ofLuis Tiant in the second game of adoubleheader against theCleveland Indians, and the home run measured 541 feet (165 m). Until the Orioles' move toCamden Yards in 1992, a flag labeled "HERE" was flown at the spot where the ball left the stadium.[24]
The Orioles won the1966 World Series, and Robinson was namedWorld Series Most Valuable Player. In the Orioles' four-game sweep of the defending championLos Angeles Dodgers, Robinson hit two home runs—one in Game 1 (which Baltimore won 5–2), and one in Game 4 (the only run of the game in a 1–0 series-clinching victory). Robinson hit both home runs off ofDon Drysdale.[25]
During the 1969 season, Robinson brought some humor to the Orioles' clubhouse by presiding over their kangaroo court, held after every Oriole win. As the judge, he would hear arguments from both sides and give out fines for minor infractions (such as one dollar per lady talked to during a game) and "awards", named after people notoriously bad at a certain skill and involving a prop the "winner" had to display until the next court session. For instance,Jim Palmer once won the John Mason Baserunning Award, a smelly, decrepit baseball cleat presented for baserunning gaffes. Palmer credited the kangaroo court for helping the Orioles bond as a team.[26]
On June 26, 1970, Robinson hit back-to-backgrand slams in the fifth and sixth innings in the Orioles' 12–2 victory over theWashington Senators. The same runners were on base both times:Dave McNally was on third base,Don Buford was on second, andPaul Blair was on first.[27]
The Orioles won three consecutive American League pennants between 1969 and 1971. Before the1969 World Series, Robinson said, "Bring on the Mets andRon Gaspar!" He was told by his teammateMerv Rettenmund, "It's Rod, stupid." He then retorted by saying, "OK. Bring on Rod Stupid!"[28] Baltimore won the1970 World Series over the Reds.[4]
Robinson was traded along withPete Richert from the Orioles to theLos Angeles Dodgers forDoyle Alexander,Bob O'Brien,Sergio Robles andRoyle Stillman at theWinter Meetings on December 2, 1971.[29] When the1972 Major League Baseball strike occurred, Robinson was one of three Dodgers out of thirty who voted against it. When the vote was announced, he said, "I don't believe in the strike, and I voted against it. But I was voted down, so now I'm on your side. I'm with you guys."[30] The 1972 season was his first season in the National League since playing with the 1965 Reds. He played 103 games while compiling a .251 batting average, 59 RBIs, 86 hits, and 19 home runs.[7] TeammateTommy John said, "Frank didn't have a great year in 1972, but he played hard all year...He set a positive role model for the team."[30]
Robinson's only season with the Dodgers ended when he was dealt along withBill Singer,Bobby Valentine,Billy Grabarkewitz andMike Strahler to theCalifornia Angels forAndy Messersmith andKen McMullen at the Winter Meetings on November 28, 1972. The transaction was the result of Robinson's request for regular playing time, something Dodgers general managerAl Campanis wanted for the team's younger prospects. It also reunited him with Angels general managerHarry Dalton who had worked in a similar capacity when both were with the Orioles.[31] In his time with the Angels, he became their firstdesignated hitter while also being teammates again withVada Pinson. He played 147 games in 1973 and 129 in 1974. In his tenure with the Angels, he hit for a .259 average while posting 50 home runs, 249 hits, and 160 RBIs in 276 games.[7]
On September 12, 1974, the Angels traded Robinson to theCleveland Indians forKen Suarez, cash and aplayer to be named later (Rusty Torres).[7] Three weeks later, the Indians named him theirmanager and persuaded him to continue playing. In his first at-bat as a player/manager for Cleveland in 1975, he hit a home run off ofDoc Medich of the Yankees. He injured his shoulder in 1975 and did not play often. He retired from playing after the 1976 season, after batting .226 with 14 home runs in 235 at-bats for Cleveland from 1974 through 1976.[32] His final at-bat in the majors came against Baltimore on September 18, where he pinch-hit in the eighth inning and collected an RBI base hit in a 3–2 loss.[4][33]
During a 21-year baseball career, hebatted .294 with 586home runs, 1,812runs batted in, and 2,943hits.[7] At his retirement, his 586 career home runs were the fourth most in history (behind only the records ofHank Aaron,Babe Ruth andWillie Mays). He is third on Cincinnati's all-time home run leaders list (324, behindJohnny Bench andJoey Votto) and is the Reds' all-time leader in slugging percentage (.554).[34][35]
In his career, Robinson held several major league records. In his rookie season, he tiedWally Berger's record for home runs by a rookie (38).[36] (The current record would be set byPete Alonso in 2019.) Robinson still holds the record for home runs onOpening Day (8), which includes a home run in his first at bat as a player-manager.[37]
Robinson won the 1966 American LeagueTriple Crown (.316 batting average, 49 home runs, 122 RBIs). Only two players (Carl Yastrzemski andMiguel Cabrera) have since won the award in either league and the twoMVP awards, which made him the first player in baseball history to earn the title in both leagues.[38]
| Category | G | BA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | OBP | SLG | OPS | PO | A | DP | E | FLD% | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 2,808 | .294 | 10,006 | 1,829 | 2,943 | 528 | 72 | 586 | 1,812 | 204 | 77 | 1,420 | 1,532 | .389 | .537 | .926 | 6,346 | 333 | 263 | 106 | .984 | [7] |
Robinson managed in the winter leagues late in his playing career.[39] By the early 1970s, he had his heart set on becoming the first black manager in the majors; the Angels traded him to theCleveland Indians midway through the 1974 season due to his open campaigning for the manager's job. He was appointed player-manager by theIndians on October 2, 1974, giving him the distinction of being the first black manager in the Majors.[40] On April 8, 1975, Robinson made his debut as a player-manager; batting second as thedesignated hitter, he hit a home run (his 575th in his career) in the bottom of the 1st inning as the team prevailed 5–3 over the New York Yankees.[41] Robinson had a rocky time in Cleveland, as general managerPhil Seghi generally liked to second guess his manager along with trying to push for him to play alongside managing (the result was that he played roughly 80 games as manager). Disagreements with players such asGaylord Perry did not help matters (he went to the press saying he wanted to be paid a dollar more than Robinson's $173,500 salary). The Indians had a 79–80 record, and had an 81–78 record in 1976, their first winning record in eight years. Cleveland started the 1977 season 26–31 and fired Robinson on June 19, 1977.[32][42]
Robinson managed theSan Francisco Giants from 1981 through 106 games of the 1984 season, when he was fired.[4][39] He finished the 1984 season as the hitting coach for theMilwaukee Brewers on a contract worth $1.[43] In 1985, he joined the Orioles' front office. On April 12, 1988, Robinson was named manager of the Orioles, replacingCal Ripken Sr. after an 0–6 start to the season.[44] He was awarded theAmerican League Manager of the Year Award in 1989 for leading the Orioles to an 87–75 record, a turnaround from their previous season in which they went 54–107, and the division title came down to the final three-game series between Baltimore and theToronto Blue Jays, but the Jays would win the first two games to clinch the division.[45] It would be the closest Robinson ever came to managing a team to the postseason.
Robinson was fired by the Orioles in May 1991.[46] After he had spent some years known in baseball as the Director of Discipline, Robinson was chosen by MLB to manage theMontreal Expos in February 2002, which MLB owned at that time.[47][48] The Expos, who had losing records in the five previous seasons, finished the 2002 and 2003 seasons with 83–79 records. The Expos then next slumped to a 67–95 record in 2004, their final season before relocation toWashington, D.C.[36]
In a June 2005Sports Illustrated poll of 450 MLB players, Robinson was selected as the worst manager in baseball, along withBuck Showalter, then manager of theTexas Rangers. In the August 2006 poll, he again was voted worst manager with 17% of the vote and 37.7% of the NL East vote.[49]
On April 20, 2006, with the Nationals' 10–4 victory over thePhiladelphia Phillies, Robinson got his 1,000th win, becoming the 53rd manager to reach that milestone.[50] He had earned his 1,000th loss two seasons earlier.[7]
During a game against theHouston Astros on May 25, 2006, Robinson pulled NationalscatcherMatt LeCroy during the middle of the seventh inning, violating anunwritten rule that managers do not remove position players in the middle of aninning. Instead, managers are supposed to discreetly switch position players in between innings. However, LeCroy, the third-string catcher, had allowed Astros baserunners tosteal seven bases over seven innings and had committed two throwingerrors. Although the Nationals won the game 8–5, Robinson found the decision so difficult to make on a player he respected so much, he broke down crying during post-game interviews.[51]
On September 30, 2006, the Nationals' management declined to renew Robinson's contract for the 2007 season, though they stated he was welcome to come to spring training in an unspecified role. Robinson, who wanted either a front office job or a consultancy, declined.[52] On October 1, he managed his final game, a 6–2 loss to theMets, and prior to the game addressed the fans atRFK Stadium.[53] Robinson's record as a manager stood at 1,065 wins and 1,176 losses. He is one of just seven managers to have won 1,000 games without having made the postseason, and he is the only one to do it since theExpansion Era began in 1961. Five of the other such managers won pennants in the 19th century, while the sixth,Jimmy Dykes, retired as a manager in 1961.[54]
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| CLE | 1975 | 159 | 79 | 80 | .497 | 4th in AL East | – | – | – | – |
| CLE | 1976 | 159 | 81 | 78 | .509 | 4th in AL East | – | – | – | – |
| CLE | 1977 | 57 | 26 | 31 | .456 | fired | – | – | – | – |
| CLE total | 375 | 186 | 189 | .496 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
| SF | 1981 | 59 | 27 | 32 | .458 | 5th in NL West | – | – | – | – |
| 52 | 29 | 23 | .558 | 3rd in NL West | ||||||
| SF | 1982 | 162 | 87 | 75 | .537 | 3rd in NL West | – | – | – | – |
| SF | 1983 | 162 | 79 | 83 | .488 | 5th in NL West | – | – | – | – |
| SF | 1984 | 106 | 42 | 64 | .396 | fired | – | – | – | – |
| SF total | 541 | 264 | 277 | .488 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
| BAL | 1988 | 155 | 54 | 101 | .348 | 7th in AL East | – | – | – | – |
| BAL | 1989 | 162 | 87 | 75 | .537 | 2nd in AL East | – | – | – | – |
| BAL | 1990 | 161 | 76 | 85 | .472 | 5th in AL East | – | – | – | – |
| BAL | 1991 | 37 | 13 | 24 | .351 | fired | – | – | – | – |
| BAL total | 515 | 230 | 285 | .447 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
| MON | 2002 | 162 | 83 | 79 | .512 | 2nd in NL East | – | – | – | – |
| MON | 2003 | 162 | 83 | 79 | .512 | 4th in NL East | – | – | – | – |
| MON | 2004 | 162 | 67 | 95 | .414 | 5th in NL East | – | – | – | – |
| WAS | 2005 | 162 | 81 | 81 | .500 | 5th in NL East | – | – | – | – |
| WAS | 2006 | 162 | 71 | 91 | .438 | 5th in NL East | – | – | – | – |
| MON/ WAS total | 810 | 385 | 425 | .475 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
| Total[54] | 2241 | 1065 | 1176 | .475 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
In addition to his twoMost Valuable Player awards (1961 and 1966) and hisWorld Series Most Valuable Player award (1966), Robinson was honored in 1966 with theHickok Belt as the top professional athlete of the year in any sport.[55][56]
In 1982, Robinson was inducted into theNational Baseball Hall of Fame as a Baltimore Oriole.[57] Robinson is also a charter member of the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame (along withBrooks Robinson), and a member of the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame, being inducted into both in 1978. He was named to theWashington Nationals Ring of Honor for his "significant contribution to the game of baseball in Washington, D.C." on May 9, 2015. He was inducted into theCleveland Indians Hall of Fame in 2016. The Reds, Orioles, and Indians have retired his uniform number 20. He is one of only two major-league players, the other beingNolan Ryan, to have his number retired by three different organizations.[58]
In 1999, Robinson ranked 22nd onThe Sporting News list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players.[59] He was nominated as a finalist for theMajor League Baseball All-Century Team.[60] In 2020,The Athletic ranked Robinson at number 20 on its "Baseball 100" list, complied by sportswriterJoe Posnanski.[61]
Three teams have honored Robinson with statues:
PresidentGeorge W. Bush awarded Robinson thePresidential Medal of Freedom on November 9, 2005.[64]
The citation on the award read:
"Frank Robinson played the game of baseball with total integrity and steadfast determination. He won Most Valuable Player awards in both the National and American Leagues. He achieved the American League Triple Crown in 1966. His teams won five League titles and two World Series championships. In 1975, Frank Robinson broke the color barrier as baseball's first African-American manager, and he later won Manager of the Year awards in both the National and American Leagues. The United States honors Frank Robinson for his extraordinary achievements as a baseball player and manager and for setting a lasting example of character in athletics."
On April 13, 2007, Robinson was awarded the first Jackie Robinson Society Community Recognition Award atGeorge Washington University.[65]
Robinson served as an assistantgeneral manager for the Orioles through 1995 when he was fired.[66] He worked for MLB as vice president of on-field operations from 1999 to 2002. He was responsible for player discipline, uniform policy, stadium configuration, and other on-field issues.[67]
Robinson served as an analyst forESPN duringspring training in 2007.[68] The Nationals offered to honor Robinson during a May 20 game against his former club, theBaltimore Orioles, but he refused.[69]
In 2007, Robinson rejoined the MLB front office serving as a special advisor for baseball operations from 2007 to 2009. He then served as special assistant toBud Selig from 2009 to 2010 and was named senior vice president for major league operations from 2010 to 2011. In June 2012, he became executive vice president of baseball development.[67] In February 2015, Robinson left that position and was named senior advisor to theCommissioner of Baseball and honorary American League president.[70]
While playing for the Reds in the late 1950s, Robinson attendedXavier University in Cincinnati during the off-season.[71] While in Baltimore, he became active in thecivil rights movement. He originally declined membership in theNAACP unless the organization promised not to make him do public appearances. However, after witnessing Baltimore'ssegregated housing anddiscriminatory real estate practices, he reconsidered and became an enthusiastic speaker on racial issues.[36]
On February 9, 1961, Robinson pulled a.25 caliber pistol during an argument in a Cincinnati restaurant. He pleaded guilty on March 20 to a charge of carrying a concealed weapon and was sentenced to pay a $250 fine (equivalent to $2,631 in 2024).[72]
Robinson met Barbara Ann Cole in 1961; they married that year[4] and lived inLos Angeles where Barbara sold real estate.[66] They had two children.[58] In 2003, he guest starred on anepisode ofYes, Dear as himself, along withErnie Banks andJohnny Bench.[73]
On February 7, 2019, Robinson died ofbone cancer in Los Angeles at the age of 83.[74]
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Hitting for the cycle May 2, 1959 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Major League Player of the Month July 1961 August 1964 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Two Grand Slams in a game June 26, 1970 | Succeeded by |
| Sporting positions | ||
| Preceded by | Baltimore Orioles Hitting Coach 1978–1980 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Baltimore Orioles First Base Coach 1980 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by vacant | Baltimore Orioles Bench Coach 1985–1987 | Succeeded by vacant |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
