| Bob Tillman | |
|---|---|
 Tillman, at right, withChuck Schilling in 1963 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born:(1937-03-24)March 24, 1937 Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. | |
| Died: June 23, 2000(2000-06-23) (aged 63) Gallatin, Tennessee, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 15, 1962, for the Boston Red Sox | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 1, 1970, for the Atlanta Braves | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .232 |
| Home runs | 79 |
| Runs batted in | 282 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
John Robert Tillman (March 24, 1937 – June 23, 2000) was an American professionalbaseball player. He played inMajor League Baseball as acatcher for theBoston Red Sox (1962–67),New York Yankees (1967), andAtlanta Braves (1968–70). He threw and battedright-handed, stood 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) tall and weighed 205 pounds (93 kg).
Born inNashville, Tennessee, Tillman graduated from Isaac Litton High School[1] and attendedMiddle Tennessee State University andGeorgia Tech. He made the1962 Red Sox' roster out of spring training as one of Boston's three catchers. After drawingwalks in his first two MLBplate appearances, Tillman connected for asolo home run againstTed Bowsfield of theLos Angeles Angels in his first officialat bat in the majors on May 19 atFenway Park.[2][3] His finest season came in1964, when he set personal bests in every offensive category,hitting .278 with 17 home runs and 61runs batted in in 131games played.
Tillman caught twono-hitters during his Red Sox days:Earl Wilson's in 1962,[4] andDave Morehead's in 1965.[5] He spent the first four months of the Red Sox'pennant-winning1967 season on the Boston roster, getting into 30 games, before he was sold to the Yankees on August 8. He later helped the1969Braves win theNational League West Division title, appearing in 69 games, 52 as starting catcher. Tillman was also involved in a notable trade after the 1967 season when he was shipped from the Yankees to the Braves forthird basemanBobby Cox. Cox would eventually begin hisBaseball Hall of Famemanaging career in the New Yorkfarm system. Tillman was dealt from theBraves to theMilwaukee Brewers forHank Allen and minor-league infielder John Ryan at theWinter Meetings on December 2, 1970.[6]
In nine seasons he played in 775 games and had 2,329 at-bats, 189 runs, 540 hits, 68 doubles, 10 triples, 79 home runs, 282 RBI, 1 stolen base, 228 walks, a .232 batting average, a .300 on-base percentage, a .371 slugging percentage, 865 total bases, 9 sacrifice hits, 14 sacrifice flies, and 33 intentional walks.
He died inGallatin, Tennessee, at the age of 63.