It’s impossible to define the legacy of a man like Brooks Robinson, whose greatness extended far beyond baseball, by arbitrarily selecting 15 “moments.”
It is similarly impossible to expect those of us who were born after the Hall of Famer’s career ended to have full clarity of what Brooks Robinson meant as a baseball player and to understand all of those moments that gave Baltimore baseball fans such goose bumps.
So as we celebrate the life of a true Baltimore sports icon, we’ll do our best anyway. In chronological order, here are The 15 “Brooks Robinson Moments,” listed in chronological order.
1. July 15, 1960: First Cycle In Orioles History
While the Arkansas native made quite the splash with two hits in his 1955 MLB debut, through the 1959 season he still wasn’t thought of as much of an offensive player. He broke out in ‘60, becoming an All-Star for the first time as he hit .294. That included this brilliant performance against the White Sox in Chicago, capped off by a two-run triple in the ninth inning to ice a 5-2 victory.
2. May 6 And 9, 1962: Consecutive Games With A Grand Slam
His 268 career home runs aren’t enough for Robinson to have been considered a particularly prodigious power hitter. And yet, he had a knack for hitting big ones. (His 2,000th career hit in 1970 was also a home run.) He became the fifth or sixth (depending on your source) player to hit salamis in back-to-back games. Some even stranger history he made? He owns the MLB record for hitting into the most career triple plays with four.
3. 1964: American League MVP
He finished in the top 10 of MVP voting in ‘60 and ‘62, with those seasons setting the stage for a brilliant ‘64 campaign. Robinson finished with career highs in batting average (.317), OPS (.889), home runs (28) and RBIs (a league-leading 118) while also collecting his fifth straight Gold Glove. Perhaps his best moment of the season came (again) at Comiskey Park, where the Orioles were trailing 2-1 going into the ninth on Aug. 22 until he crushed a go-ahead three-run homer.
4. July 12, 1966: All-Star Game MVP
Here’s another wild anomaly in baseball history that involves Robinson. You might be aware that he was named All-Star Game MVP in 1966. What you might not be aware of is that … he was named MVP despite the American League losing! To this day, only Robinson and Carl Yastrzemski (1970) have been named All-Star Game MVP in a losing effort. Robinson went 3-for-4 with a triple, scored the AL’s only run and played all 10 innings at third base in the game.
5. Oct. 5, 1966: Back-To-Back Home Runs With Frank Robinson In Game 1 of World Series
The arrival of Frank Robinson changed the trajectory of the Orioles and forever intertwined the “Brothers” Robinson. They wasted no time leaving a massive impact on the Fall Classic, as Frank went deep in the bottom of the first and then Brooks followed up with his own home run, setting the tone for an Orioles sweep — the franchise’s first World Series title.
6. Oct. 11, 1969: Robbing Rod Gaspar In Game 1 Of World Series
I knew this list needed to have more specific defensive plays (since, you know, we’re talking about one of the greatest defensive players in history), but choosing which ones was tough because Robinson played in an era when not every game was on TV.
Robinson is still remembered for making multiple massive plays to protect Hoyt Wilhelm’s no-hitter in 1958, and he caught the eye of Yogi Berra for a play he made on a Gil McDougald ground ball that same year. In the 1969 ALCS, he memorably robbed a Rod Carew line drive.
But this one stands out, as Gaspar represented the tying run and hit a slow roller that Robinson was forced to barehand and fire quickly to keep the Orioles in front. We’ll choose not to discuss the rest of that World Series.
7. Oct. 3-5, 1970: American League Championship Series
The concept of an “ALCS MVP” wasn’t introduced until 1980, but retroactively, I think it’s fair to say we know who it was in ‘70. Robinson hit a staggering .583 during the Orioles’ sweep of the Twins, setting the stage for the finest moment of his career.
8. Oct. 10-15, 1970: World Series MVP
“He just did everything right,” teammate Bobby Grich told me so matter-of-factly when I asked him recently about Robinson’s dominance in the 1970 World Series. He’s not kidding. The most defining moment of Robinson’s career (and maybe the greatest defensive play of all time) came in Game 1 when he fielded a smoked ground ball from Lee May in foul territory and made an impossible throw to get May at first base. But it was just one of a handful of absurd defensive plays he made during the series, robbing May, Johnny Bench and others. And to top it off, he hit .429 in the series with a pair of home runs and fittingly recorded the final putout to clinch Game 5 and the title against the Reds. It was his magnum opus.
9. Oct. 5, 1971: ALCS-Clinching Hit
Robinson’s playoff heroics weren’t done, as he hit .364 against the Athletics in the 1971 ALCS. Most importantly, he put the Birds ahead, 3-1, with a two-run single in the fifth inning of Game 3. It gave the Orioles a lead they would not relinquish as they finished the sweep, marking their third straight pennant.
10. 1972: MLBPA Strike
Robinson took on a very public face during baseball’s first-ever work stoppage, acting as a rep for the union and speaking to the media about why players were fighting for improved pensions. The players were ultimately seen as the “winners” of the short strike, establishing the strongest union in American pro sports. Robinson also refused to cross the picket line when WMAR talent was striking in 1982, forcing station management to the table in time for him to work the Orioles’ season-opening broadcast.
11. April 19, 1977: Final Home Run
Robinson’s career was, to put it kindly, on the decline at this point. But facing a Cleveland team managed by his friend Frank Robinson, Brooks came up as a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the 10th with (ironically) Lee May on first and the Orioles trailing, 5-4. On a 3-2 pitch, he socked a walk-off home run. He had just 49 more plate appearances before retiring in August.
12. Sept. 18, 1977: “Thanks, Brooks” Day
It was one of the most emotional days in Memorial Stadium history. After Robinson’s retirement became official, the city gathered to celebrate the career of its most beloved athlete. It had a little bit of everything, including Robinson’s trip in the 1955 Cadillac, Earl Weaver becoming emotional and Doug DeCinces lifting third base out of the ground to gift it to Robinson.
It was after the 1977 season that sportswriter Gordon Beard offered the famous quote, “In New York, they named a candy bar after Reggie Jackson. Here in Baltimore, we name our children after Brooks Robinson.”
13. July 31, 1983: Baseball Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony
Disturbingly, 8 percent of voters actually left Robinson off their ballot in 1983. Nonetheless, Robinson took his place in Cooperstown alongside legendary pitcher Juan Marichal, former Dodgers manager Walter Alston and another third baseman from Arkansas who played for the Orioles, George Kell.
14. 1993: “Sleepless In Seattle”
Without question, the most significant pop culture reference to Robinson came in the Tom Hanks-Meg Ryan romantic comedy, as Annie and Sam connect through their love of baseball and the Orioles legend. Perhaps no truer line has even been uttered in cinema than, “Everyone thinks Brooks Robinson is the greatest.”
15. 2015: Auctions Off Memorabilia For Charity
In his later years, Robinson still made memorable appearances, including a statue unveiling near Camden Yards in 2011, one inside the ballpark in 2012, an announcement that he would return to the team in an advisory role in 2018 and a 45th anniversary celebration of “Thanks, Brooks” Day in 2022. But nothing was more meaningful in Robinson’s later years than his decision to auction off almost all of his memorabilia in 2015. In perfect Brooks Robinson fashion, he used the $1.44 million raised by the auction to benefit the Constance and Brooks Robinson Charitable Foundation. “We’ve been very blessed, my whole family, all the years we’ve been in Baltimore,” he said. “So it’s time to give back.”
Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Baltimore Orioles
Issue 283: October/November 2023
Originally published Oct. 18, 2023