Wilbert Robinson

Life and playing career

Robinson was born in Bolton, Massachusetts, and began his professional career as a catcher in the minor New England League in 1885. He reached the major leagues in 1886 with the Philadelphia Athletics of the American Association, staying there until 1890. He played most of his career with two separate Baltimore Orioles franchises: the National League team from 1890 to 1899, and the American League team in 1901–02 (which moved to New York in 1903 to become the Yankees). He also spent the 1900 season with the St. Louis Cardinals. Over 1,316 games as a catcher, he compiled a .273 batting average, peaking at .353 in 1894. He caught a triple-header in 1896 followed by a double-header the next day, and was the first catcher to play directly behind the batter at all times. On June 10, 1892, he had a seven-hit game and batted in 11 runs.

Managerial career

Robinson and John McGraw became business partners in the Baltimore Orioles, which debuted in the new American League in 1901. McGraw was player-manager in 1901 and early 1902, then departed to the New York Giants. Robinson took over for the final 83 games of 1902, winning 24 and losing 57 (with two ties). The team suffered from owner John Mahon's debt; Andrew Freedman and John T. Brush purchased the team and raided its roster.

After the season, McGraw hired Robinson as his pitching coach from 1903 to 1913, during which the Giants won five NL pennants and the 1905 World Series. An argument after the 1913 World Series over alleged bad coaching began a feud between the two. In 1914, Robinson became manager of the Brooklyn franchise, which was often called the "Robins" in his honor. He led the team to a 75-79 record in 1914, then an 80-72-2 mark in 1915, finishing third. He managed Brooklyn until 1931.

Legacy

Robinson was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1945 by the Old-Timers Committee. One reporter described him as a "Rule-of-thumb manager, a gentle Falstaff, who could get more out of less material than any manager before or since." Baseball analyst Bill James called his election "capricious." On March 13, 1915, at spring training in Daytona Beach, Florida, Robinson attempted to catch a baseball dropped from an airplane flying 525 feet overhead. The pilot, Ruth Law, forgot the baseball and dropped a grapefruit instead, which splattered over Robinson, causing him to think he had lost an eye. After realizing it was a joke, he referred to airplanes as "fruit flies," and the incident is said to be the origin of the nickname "Grapefruit League" for spring training.