Early years (1955–1959) Playing second base, Brooks Robinson made his professional debut on June 3, 1955, at Bob Hoffman Stadium with the York White Roses. After three months in York, Pennsylvania, he made his first appearance with the Orioles on September 17, 1955, at
Memorial Stadium against the
Washington Senators, batting sixth in the lineup. He had two hits in four at bats,
singling in the fourth
inning against
Chuck Stobbs for his first hit before driving in a run on a single in the eighth inning in a 3–1 win. After that, he went hitless in his next 18 at bats before sitting for the season's final two games. "Those American League pitchers made me look like just what I was—a young, green, immature eighteen-year-old who'd been lucky that first day against Washington," he later reflected. After the season, the Orioles assigned him to the Willard Blues, a Colombian winter league team where Baltimore sent some of its best prospects.
Earl Wilson hit Robinson in the head with a pitch in one of the games, but Robinson was protected from severe injury because of a new fiberglass batting helmet the team was testing on their players. In 1956, Robinson was allowed to stay in
spring training with the Orioles until March 21, but Baltimore acquired
Bobby Adams to play third base, thinking the 18-year-old Robinson was not quite ready for the major leagues. He spent most of the year with the
Class AA San Antonio Missions, where he tore cartilage in his right knee while sliding into a base in August. The injury was initially feared to require surgery, but rest and heat reduced the swelling, and he missed only a few games. Promoted to Baltimore after the minor league season, he appeared in 15 games, demonstrating fielding ability beyond his years, though only batting .227. Robinson competed with future Hall of Famer
George Kell to be Baltimore's everyday third baseman in 1957, though Kell happily mentored the younger player. Both made the starting lineup (Robinson at third base, Kell at first), but two weeks into the season, Robinson completely tore the cartilage in his knee while swerving to avoid a tag at first base. He missed all of May and spent most of June on a rehab assignment in San Antonio but regained the starting job when he returned. On August 2, he was again hit in the head with a pitch, this time by
Ned Garver. The errant throw resulted in a mild concussion and a wound above Robinson's left eye that required 10 stitches, but after five days, the ballplayer was ready to perform again. On August 14, he hit his first major league
home run off
Pedro Ramos. In 50 games, he batted .239. Because of the time he had missed, the Orioles had him play winter baseball again to continue his development. This time in Havana, he led the league with nine home runs. When the Orioles played the
New York Yankees in late April 1958,
Yogi Berra said that Robinson "got a great future" after the third baseman dove to catch a
Gil McDougald ground ball, stood up, and threw out Berra trying to score. Offensively, Robinson batted .406 through April. Toward midseason, he developed a hitch in his swing and started hitting too many
pop flies, which caused him to lose playing time to
Dick Williams in August. He helped
Hoyt Wilhelm throw a
no-hitter on September 28 by making three terrific fielding plays after replacing Williams at third base in the eighth inning. "There weren't too many bright spots in my 1958 season, but being in on Wilhelm's no-hitter was the big one for me," Robinson recalled. In 145 games, he batted .238 with three home runs in 463 at bats---weak offensive numbers, but his defense was more impressive. "I think Brooks is in a class by himself as a defensive third baseman," said Oriole manager
Paul Richards. Following the 1958 season, Robinson enlisted in the
Arkansas Army National Guard for four years; he served six months on active duty, then three and a half years in reserve status, which ensured he would not be drafted for two years of continuous active duty. He qualified as a repair parts specialist in the
Ordnance Corps and was assigned to Company A, 739th Ordnance Battalion. Robinson received his honorable discharge in January 1962. On May 17, he had a terrifying moment when, as he fell into a
Capilano Stadium dugout to catch a ball, he caught his right biceps on a hook, tearing tendons and causing severe bleeding; team trainer Doc Younker assisted Robinson in getting him loose from the hook and to the hospital. The injury just missed tearing a nerve, which would have ended his career, but he had to miss only 25 games. Fulfilling a promise he made when he demoted Robinson, Richards recalled him before the season's first
All-Star Game. The time in the minors had helped his hitting; biographer Doug Wilson wrote that "He was no longer overmatched by big league pitchers." He batted .284 in 88 games, and Richards said that he was "the best player in the American League [for] the last five weeks of the season."
Everyday player, MVP (1960–1965) By 1960, Robinson was unquestionably the Oriole third baseman. He started the year in the sixth slot in the batting lineup but ascended to third after batting .333 in June and .351 in July. In July, he was selected to his first of 18 straight
All-Star Games; he would be a part of both games from 1960 to 1962, in which two games a year were played. On July 15, he recorded five hits in five at bats, becoming the first Oriole to
hit for the cycle in a 5–2 victory over the
Chicago White Sox. For the first time since their arrival in Baltimore, the Orioles were contenders for the AL pennant, part of a three-way race with the Yankees and the White Sox as September arrived. In the first game of an early September series against the Yankees in Baltimore, Robinson had the first RBI, then fielded a ball hit off of
Milt Pappas's leg in the ninth and threw out
Héctor López at first base. He drove in the only runs in the second game, in which the Orioles took over first place in the AL on September 3. Baltimore swept the series, but a fever briefly hospitalized Robinson at the end of the series, and he went into a batting slump. After getting swept in a four-game series against New York later in the month, Baltimore finished in second. In 152 games, Robinson batted .294 and hit 14 home runs. For most of 1961, Robinson batted first in Baltimore's lineup. He further solidified his defensive reputation in 1961; sportswriter
Bob Addie reported, "The 'young old-timers' in the press box are beginning to compare Baltimore's Brooks Robinson with the great third basemen of the past." One of two players in the AL to appear in every game of the season, he batted .287 with 192 hits (second in the league only to
Norm Cash's 193) and seven home runs. In consecutive games on May 6 and 9, Robinson hit a
grand slam, one of six major leaguers ever to have done so at the time. In August, he had eight straight hits over a three-game span. He batted higher than .300 for the first time (.303) and topped 20 home runs (23), recording 86 RBIs as he was named the Most Valuable Oriole for the second time. Robinson got off to an excellent start offensively to the 1963 season, and had hits in both of his at bats in that year's
All-Star Game. Overall, his offensive production diminished, as he batted just .219 after the All-Star break, and saw a streak of 462 consecutive games played come to an end when manager
Billy Hitchcock benched him in an attempt to improve his hitting. For the year, he batted .251 with 11 home runs and 67 RBI. The coach encouraged Robinson to stop swinging at bad pitches, and Robinson started using a slightly heavier bat. Against the Yankees early in the year, he made what Wilson said "was generally agreed to be the play of the year," diving to stop a hard-hit ground ball off the bat of
Bobby Richardson and throwing him out while still seated on the ground. With the Orioles, Yankees, and White Sox in a three-way race for the pennant, Robinson batted .464 with 28 RBIs from September 7 through the end of the season, though the Orioles again finished behind the Yankees. The Orioles honored him with a "Brooks Robinson Night" late in the season, which the ballplayer said "will always remain one of the great moments of my life." Maxwell Kates of the
Society for American Baseball Research said "Robinson had perhaps his best season in 1964." Playing all but two innings of Baltimore's 163-game season, Robinson hit for a .317 batting average with 28 home runs. He led the league with 118 RBI, winning the AL MVP Award. For much of 1965, Robinson batted over .300 again, though his average fell to .297 by the end of the year. He led Baltimore in batting average and RBIs (80).
World Series champion (1966–1971) 1966–1970 During the 1965–66 offseason, the Orioles acquired former
National League (NL) MVP
Frank Robinson from the
Cincinnati Reds; Frank would bat third in the lineup, right in front of Brooks. Halfway through the year, Brooks had 70 RBIs. In the
All-Star Game, played in conditions, he made several outstanding defensive plays and recorded three hits, and was the game's MVP even though the AL lost 2–1. Over 28 games in August, he struggled, batting .187 with just three RBIs. The Orioles nonetheless won the AL pennant for the first time in Robinson's tenure with the team, clinching on Sep 15. In 157 games, Robinson batted .269 with 23 home runs and 100 RBIs, his second and final season with at least 100 RBIs. Against the
Los Angeles Dodgers in the
World Series, Frank and Brooks hit back-to-back home runs off of
Don Drysdale in Game 1, a 5–2 victory. "Drysdale's second pitch to me was a high fast ball, and I parked it in almost the same seats in the left field pavilion [that Frank had hit his to]," Robinson recalled. In Game 4, the Orioles nursed a 1–0 lead in the fifth inning when
Jim Lefebvre led off with a single. The next batter,
Wes Parker, hit a ground ball that Robinson had to stretch to catch. After stumbling, Robinson threw the ball to second baseman
Davey Johnson, who threw out Parker at first base to complete a
double play. The score remained 1–0 through the end of the game, and the Orioles completed a four-game sweep of the Dodgers for Baltimore's first World Series championship. A picture of Robinson leaping into the air as he ran to the pitcher's mound to congratulate
Dave McNally after the game remains one of the most iconic Oriole photos. After the season, he and multiple other baseball celebrities went on a tour to visit US troops serving in the
Vietnam War. In 1967 spring training,
Phil Niekro hit Robinson in the head with a pitch, causing a mild concussion. Robinson slumped early in the year but improved toward the end of June, posting 17 hits over 39 at bats in one 10-game stretch, including five home runs. His home run in the
All-Star Game was the only run for the AL in a 2–1, 15-inning loss. On August 6, he hit into a
triple play for the fourth time in his career, a major league record. "I wouldn't mind seeing someone erase my record of hitting into four triple plays," he said. Toward the end of the year, he went hitless in 49 of 51 at bats. In 158 games, he batted .269 with 22 home runs and 77 RBIs. Manager
Earl Weaver attributed his struggles to swinging at bad pitches, as well as his slow pace, which prevented him from getting as many
infield hits. In Game 1 of the
AL Championship Series (ALCS) versus the
Minnesota Twins, Robinson had four hits in Baltimore's 4–3 win. He gloved a hard-hit
line drive off the bat of
Rod Carew in Game 3, an 11–2 victory that clinched the Orioles a trip to the
World Series to face the
New York Mets. During the first game of the World Series,
Rod Gaspar hit a slow, bouncer toward third that both Gaspar and pitcher
Mike Cuellar thought would be a hit; Robinson caught it barehanded and threw to first before he had fully stood up, retiring Gaspar as the Orioles went on to win 4–1. He made a similar play to keep
Jerry Grote from getting a hit in Game 2 and had an RBI single against
Jerry Koosman, but Baltimore lost 2–1. With the Orioles trailing the Mets 1–0 in the ninth inning of Game 4, Robinson batted against
Tom Seaver with runners on first and third and one out. He sent the ball towards right field but was robbed of a hit when
Ron Swoboda made a diving catch; Biographer Doug Wilson, mentioned earlier in this article, wrote that the catch "is one of the all-time great plays in World Series history." Baltimore lost 2–1 in 10 innings, then went on to lose the series in five games. Robinson started using a heavier bat in 1970, as he batted .311 in April. On May 9, he hit his 200th home run. On September 8 in a 6–3 road win against the
Detroit Tigers, he broke
Eddie Yost's American League record of 2,008 games at third base. In the first game of a doubleheader against the Senators on September 29, he had his 1,000th career RBIs against
Joe Coleman, who had also allowed his 200th home run. Robinson had his highest batting average (.276) and RBIs (94) totals since 1966, adding 18 home runs as the Orioles again won the AL East. With Game 1 of the World Series tied at 3–3 in the sixth inning,
Lee May hit a one-hop ball fair past third. Playing behind the base, Robinson lunged, backhanded the ball, spun 180 degrees, and made a one-hop toss to first that narrowly beat May to the bag. Years later,
Jayson Stark of
ESPN considered this the third-greatest play of all time. Against
Gary Nolan in the seventh inning, Robinson's solo home run provided the winning margin in Baltimore's 4–3 triumph. As it turned out, these were just the first of many fine plays Robinson would make during the Series. Then, in the third inning, he snagged a hard line drive off May's bat, whirling and throwing almost immediately to second for a double play that ended the inning. Baltimore won the game 6–5. Robinson made an over-the-head catch of a bouncing ball off of
Tony Pérez's bat in the first inning of Game 3, outracing Rose to third base and throwing to first to complete a double play. Fielding a slow grounder hit by
Tommy Helms in the second inning, Robinson partially circled the ball before picking it up, allowing him to throw to first on a better angle. He dove to his left to rob
Johnny Bench of a hit in the sixth inning, barely holding onto a hard line drive. Offensively, he had two RBIs in Baltimore's 9–3 win. In Game 4, he had four hits and a home run, though Baltimore lost 6–5. Finally, in Game 5, he made a diving back-handed catch of a line drive off of Bench's bat in the ninth, and fielded
Pat Corrales' ground ball for the final out, as Baltimore won the game 9–3 to clinch their second World Series victory. Though Robinson batted .429 with two home runs in the series, his defensive prowess was what really stood out, as he started two double plays and fielded 23 chances while making several outstanding plays. His performance won him the
World Series MVP Award. "I've never seen anything like him in my life," Rose said. "He has to be the greatest third baseman of all time," said Pérez, who played the same position. "I just enjoy watching him play. He's in the right place every time." Wilson wrote that Robinson's outstanding play in the series, which was televised nationally, helped his ability to be appreciated by baseball fans outside the Baltimore area. After the season, he won the
Hickok Belt, presented annually to the top professional athlete of the year.
1971 Before the 1971 season, Robinson signed a $100,000 contract, becoming only one of 12 players with such a high baseball salary at the time. He played 50 games in a row without committing an error and received the most votes of AL players in the
All-Star Game. On July 28, he uncharacteristically made three errors in a game, though Baltimore still won 3–2. Wilson pointed out, "men had literally
walked on the moon before Brooks Robinson had made three errors in a game." On the final day of the season, he broke
Eddie Mathews' major league record of 2,181 games at third base, with his 2nd-inning home run providing the only scoring in a 1–0 victory over the Red Sox. In 156 games, he batted .272, hitting 20 home runs and driving in 92 runs as he finished fourth in AL MVP voting. In Game 2 of the
ALCS against the Athletics, Robinson hit a home run against
Catfish Hunter. He had two RBIs in Game 3 and batted .364 in the series as Baltimore swept the Athletics, advancing them to the
World Series where they would face the
Pittsburgh Pirates. With the Orioles facing elimination in Game 6, Robinson hit a 10th-inning
sacrifice fly against
Bob Miller that scored the winning run in a 3–2 victory.
Later years (1972–1977) Robinson served as the
Major League Baseball Players Association player's representative for much of his career with the Orioles. In 1972, he and Belanger were among the 47 who voted in favor of the
1972 Major League Baseball strike. "I want to play," Robinson told reporters. "All players do. It all boils down to whether the owners are willing to make some concessions. I think our fellows are willing to make some, too, and that seems to be the best chance." The strike only wound up cancelling games on 10 days of the 1972 season, but Robinson was booed in his first at bat of the year at Memorial Stadium. In 153 games in 1972, Robinson batted .250. His eight home runs and 64 RBIs were his lowest totals in those categories since 1961. He recognized that Weaver was a great manager, however, and observed a couple years later that "Rarely have I questioned his action." Robinson still won the
Commissioner's Award, presented annually to the individual who best represented baseball as a player and as a person. Robinson hit two home runs on Opening Day in 1973, but his batting average was under .200 by the middle of June. He still made the
All-Star Game, but sportswriters observed that his selection had more to do with popularity than it did with his performance that season. Defensively, he started two
5–4–3 triple plays – on July 7 against the Athletics, and on September 20 against the Tigers. On August 20, he got his 2,500th hit against the Twins, a 9th-inning RBI single to tie the game, with the Orioles going on to win 4–3. In the season's final months, he batted nearly .300. In the second-to-last game of the year, Robinson scored from first on a pinch-hit double by
Andy Etchebarren. The run provided the margin of victory in a game that, coupled with a Yankee loss later that day, clinched the Orioles' AL East championship. Robinson batted .288 with seven home runs. His batting average was the best it had been since 1965, though his RBIs were his lowest since 1959. The Orioles again faced the Athletics in the
ALCS; in Game 1, Robinson dove to catch a ball hit by
Dick Green, then threw him out at first, adding a solo home run in Baltimore's 6–1 win. He would bat just .083 in the series, which Oakland won in four games. In 144 games, he batted .201 with six home runs and 53 RBI. The Orioles had a young third base prospect named
Doug DeCinces, and on May 17, 1976, Weaver informed Robinson that DeCinces would be taking over his position; though still a fine fielder, Robinson was only batting .165. Robinson requested a trade to a team that would give him more playing time and was nearly sent to the White Sox, but he vetoed the deal because Chicago did not want to give him a contract through 1978. In 71 games, he batted .211 with three home runs and 11 RBI. "Brooks' last great moment," according to Patterson, came against the Indians on April 19, when he pinch-hit in the bottom of the 10th inning of a game against the Indians which Baltimore trailed 5–3. There were two men on base, and after
working the count full and
fouling off several pitches, Robinson hit a
walkoff home run against
Dave LaRoche for a 6–5 Oriole win. He made his final batting appearance on August 5 at
Anaheim Stadium, pinch hitting for Belanger in the top of the eighth inning and lining out. However, he would play briefly in one more game, eight days later at Memorial Stadium against the Athletics. He entered as a pinch hitter for
Al Bumbry against the left-handed
Bob Lacey. When Oakland manager
Bobby Winkles replaced Lacey with right-hander
Doug Bair, Weaver replaced Robinson with left-handed
Tony Muser before the at bat even started. With the Orioles needing another roster spot when
Rick Dempsey returned from the
disabled list, Robinson announced his retirement as an active player on August 21, with more than a month to go in the season. He was given a
standing ovation by the fans at
Metropolitan Stadium prior to that afternoon's 9–5 loss to the
Minnesota Twins. He was honored a month later with an hour-long ceremony before a 10–4 defeat to the
Boston Red Sox on September 18 before a crowd of 51,798, then the largest attendance for an Orioles home regular-season game. ==Career statistics==