Editing Frank Robinson (section)

==Playing career==
===Minor leagues===
In 1953, [[Bobby Mattick]], a [[scout (sports)|scout]] for the [[Cincinnati Reds]], signed Robinson to a contract worth $3,500 (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|3500|1953}}}} in current dollar terms).<ref name=sabr/> He made his professional debut for the [[Ogden Reds]] of the Class C [[Pioneer League (baseball)|Pioneer League]]. He batted .348 with 17 home runs and 83 [[runs batted in]] (RBI) in 72 games played.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Frank Robinson Minor Leagues Statistics |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=robins001fra |access-date=September 6, 2024 |website=[[Baseball Reference]] |language=en}}</ref> He was promoted to the [[Tulsa Oilers (baseball)|Tulsa Oilers]] of the [[Class AA]] [[Texas League]] in 1954, but was demoted to the [[Columbia Reds]] of the [[Class A (baseball)|Class A]] [[South Atlantic League]]. He returned to Columbia in 1955.<ref name=sabr/>

===Major Leagues===
====Cincinnati Redlegs / Reds (1956–1965)====
Robinson made his major league debut on April 17, [[1956 Cincinnati Reds season|1956]] at the age of 20.<ref name="bbref">{{cite web |title=Frank Robinson Career Statistics |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/robinfr02.shtml |access-date=October 12, 2023 |website=[[Baseball Reference]]}}</ref> 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 the [[1956 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1956 All-Star Game]].<ref name=sabr/><ref>{{cite web |title=Frank Robinson 1956 Batting Game Logs |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/gl.fcgi?id=robinfr02&t=b&year=1956 |access-date=October 10, 2023 |website=[[Baseball Reference]] |publisher=[[Sports Reference]]}}</ref> The Reds stayed in the pennant race until the last day of the season, ending up with a 91–63 record, two games behind the [[1956 Brooklyn Dodgers season|Brooklyn Dodgers]].<ref>{{cite web |title=1956 Cincinnati Redlegs Schedule, Box Scores and Splits |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CIN/1956-schedule-scores.shtml |access-date=June 29, 2011 |website=[[Baseball Reference]] |publisher=[[Sports Reference]]}}</ref>

Robinson ended the 1956 season with a .290 [[Batting average (baseball)|batting average]] and 83 RBI, and his 38 home runs tied the Major League Baseball record for home runs hit by a Rookie player previously set by [[Wally Berger]] in {{mlby|1930}}.<ref name="bbref"/><ref name="Most Home Runs by a Rookie Player">{{cite web |title=Most Home Runs by a Rookie Player |url=https://www.statmuse.com/mlb/ask?q=all-time+most+home+runs+by+a+rookie |access-date=October 14, 2023 |website=[[StatMuse]]}}</ref> His rookie home run record stood for 31 years when it was broken by [[Mark McGwire]]'s 49 home runs in {{mlby|1987}}.<ref name="Most Home Runs by a Rookie Player"/> His impressive power hitting display earned him the {{mlby|1956}} National League [[MLB Rookie of the Year Award|Rookie of the Year Award]].<ref>{{cite web |title=1956 Rookie of the Year voting |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1956.shtml#all_NL_ROY_voting |access-date=October 14, 2023 |website=[[Baseball Reference]] |publisher=[[Sports Reference]]}}</ref>

In [[1957 Cincinnati Reds season|1957]], 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]] and [[Roy McMillan]]—were voted into the National League starting lineup for the [[1957 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1957 All-Star Game]]. An investigation launched by [[Commissioner of Baseball|Commissioner]] [[Ford C. Frick]] found that the majority of the ballots cast had come from Cincinnati as the result of a [[ballot stuffing]] campaign by Reds fans.<ref name="The stuff of legends: In 1957, Cincinnati fans stacked the All-Star team too">{{cite web |last=Wulf |first=Steve |date=June 29, 2015 |title=The stuff of legends: In 1957, Cincinnati fans stacked the All-Star team too |url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/13168334/1957-cincinnati-fans-stacked-all-star-team-too |website=[[ESPN]]}}</ref>

Frick allowed Robinson to remain on the team while Bell and Post were replaced on the NL starting roster by outfielders [[Hank Aaron]] and [[Willie Mays]].<ref name="The stuff of legends: In 1957, Cincinnati fans stacked the All-Star team too"/> Bell remained as a reserve player, but Post was removed from the roster altogether.<ref name="The stuff of legends: In 1957, Cincinnati fans stacked the All-Star team too"/> Subsequently, Frick suspended fans' All-Star game voting rights until they were eventually restored in [[1970 in baseball|1970]].<ref name="The stuff of legends: In 1957, Cincinnati fans stacked the All-Star team too"/> The Reds faltered after the All-Star break and dropped to fourth place in the season final standings.

Robinson earned the 1957 ''[[Associated Press]]'' National League Sophomore-of-the-Year award by improving his batting average to .322, tying him with Hank Aaron for third place in the [[List of Major League Baseball batting champions|1957 NL batting championship]] race behind future Hall of Fame members [[Stan Musial]] (.366) and Willie Mays (.333).<ref name="Robinson Says Credit Of Honor Belongs To Tebbetts">{{cite news |last=Schechter |first=Mal |date=November 2, 1957 |title=Robinson Says Credit Of Honor Belongs To Tebbetts |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XNwbAAAAIBAJ&pg=4969,59766&dq=birdie+tebbetts&hl=en |access-date=June 29, 2011 |work=[[The Dispatch]] |page=16 |via=[[Google News Archive]] |agency=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=1957 Batting Leaders |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/1957-batting-leaders.shtml |access-date=October 12, 2023 |website=[[Baseball Reference]]}}</ref> He credited manager, [[Birdie Tebbetts]] for his performance saying, "He kept after me all year and that's what a young ball player needs."<ref name="Robinson Says Credit Of Honor Belongs To Tebbetts"/> In [[1958 Cincinnati Reds season|1958]], Robinson would win the only [[Gold 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.<ref name="bbref"/><ref>{{cite web |title=1958 National League Gold Glove Award winners |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/gold_glove_nl.shtml#1958 |access-date=October 12, 2023 |website=[[Baseball Reference]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=August 15, 1958 |title=Birdie Tebbetts Quits As Cincinnati Manager |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=x1QuAAAAIBAJ&pg=500,2128191&dq=birdie+tebbetts&hl=en |access-date=October 12, 2023 |work=[[The Daily Gazette|Schenectady Gazette]] |page=26 |via=[[Google News Archive]] |agency=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref> In [[1959 Cincinnati Reds season|1959]], Robinson improved to a .311 batting average along with 36 home runs and 125 RBI in 146 games.<ref name="bbref"/> He also enjoyed a productive [[1960 Cincinnati Reds season|1960]], batting .297 with 31 home runs and 83 RBI in 139 games. That year, Robinson led the major leagues in [[slugging percentage]] (.595) and [[on-base plus slugging]] (1.002), and also ranked first in the NL in [[Hit by pitch|hit by pitches]] (nine).<ref name="bbref" />
[[File:Frank Robinson 1961.png|thumb|left|Robinson with the Reds in 1961]]
In [[1961 Cincinnati Reds season|1961]], Robinson moved to right field and produced another strong offensive season.<ref name=sabr/> In July he batted .409, hit 13 home runs, and drove in 34 runs to win [[Major League Baseball Player of the Month Award|NL Player of the Month]] Award, and finished the season with a .323 batting average with 37 home runs and 124 RBI in 153 games, helping to propel the Reds to the {{mlby|1961}} [[List of National League pennant winners|National League pennant]].<ref name="bbref"/><ref>{{cite web |title=MLB Major League Baseball Players of the Month |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/mlb-players-of-the-month.shtml |access-date=October 12, 2023 |website=[[Baseball Reference]]}}</ref> His performance earned him the 1961 National League [[Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award|Most Valuable Player Award]].<ref>{{cite web |title=1961 National League Most Valuable Player voting results |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1961.shtml#NL_MVP_voting |access-date=October 12, 2023 |website=[[Baseball Reference]]}}</ref> In the [[1961 World Series]] against the [[1961 New York Yankees season|New York Yankees]], Robinson had a lackluster performance, producing only three hits as the Reds fell to the Yankees in five games.<ref>{{cite web |title=Frank Robinson postseason batting statistics |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/robinfr02.shtml#batting_postseason |access-date=October 12, 2023 |website=[[Baseball Reference]]}}</ref>

Robinson hit a career-high .342 in [[1962 Cincinnati Reds season|1962]], just four points behind the NL batting champion, [[Tommy Davis (outfielder)|Tommy Davis]].<ref name="1962 Batting Leaders">{{cite web |title=1962 Batting Leaders |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/1962-batting-leaders.shtml |access-date=October 12, 2023 |website=[[Baseball Reference]]}}</ref> He also led the league in [[Run (baseball)|runs scored]] (134), [[Double (baseball)|doubles]] (51), [[on-base percentage]] (.421), slugging percentage (.624) and on-base plus slugging (1.045).<ref name="1962 Batting Leaders"/> Robinson's season totals for runs scored, doubles, RBI (136) and on-base percentage were also career-highs.<ref name="bbref"/>

Robinson was noted as a fiercely aggressive player. He [[Cleat (shoe)|spiked]] [[Johnny Logan (baseball)|Johnny Logan]] in 1957, causing Logan to miss six weeks. In a game against the [[1960 Milwaukee Braves season|Milwaukee 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]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Sharnik |first=Morton |date=June 17, 1963 |title=The Moody Tiger of the Reds |url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1963/06/17/the-moody-tiger-of-the-reds |access-date=February 7, 2019 |newspaper=[[Sports Illustrated]]}}</ref>

====Baltimore Orioles (1966–1971)====
On December 9, 1965, Reds owner [[Bill DeWitt]] traded Robinson to the [[Baltimore Orioles]] in exchange for [[pitcher]] [[Milt Pappas]], pitcher [[Jack Baldschun]], and outfielder [[Dick Simpson]].<ref name="bbref" /> The trade turned out to be very lopsided. DeWitt, who had a slew of successful trades including his time as [[general 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.<ref>"Baseball: More Than 150 Years" by David Nemec and Saul Wisnia. Publications International, Ltd. 1997, p. 413</ref> In Robinson's first year in Baltimore, he won the [[Triple Crown (baseball)|Triple Crown]], leading the American League with a .316 batting average (then the lowest ever by a Triple Crown winner), 49 home runs (the most ever by a right-handed Triple crown winner) and 122 RBI in 155 games.<ref name="bbref" /> On May 8, 1966, Robinson became the only player ever to hit a home run completely out of [[Memorial Stadium (Baltimore)|Memorial Stadium]].<ref>Connolly, Dan. 100 Things Orioles Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, [[Triumph Books]], Chicago, 2015, {{ISBN|978-1629370415}}, p. 117</ref> The shot came off of [[Luis Tiant]] in the second game of a [[doubleheader (baseball)|doubleheader]] against the [[Cleveland Guardians|Cleveland Indians]], and the home run measured {{convert|541|ft}}. Until the Orioles' move to [[Oriole Park at Camden Yards|Camden Yards]] in 1992, a flag labeled "HERE" was flown at the spot where the ball left the stadium.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Landers |first1=Charles |date=May 8, 2017 |title=Frank Robinson once took a Luis Tiant fastball 541 feet straight out of Memorial Stadium |url=https://www.mlb.com/cut4/frank-robinson-hits-541-foot-home-run-out-of-memorial-stadium-against-luis-tiant |website=Cut4 |publisher=[[MLB.com]]}}</ref>

The Orioles won the [[1966 World Series]], and Robinson was named [[World Series Most Valuable Player Award|World Series Most Valuable Player]]. In the Orioles' four-game sweep of the defending champion [[Los 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 of [[Don Drysdale]].<ref>{{cite web |date=January 1, 1970 |title=1966 World Series – Baltimore Orioles over Los Angeles Dodgers (4–0) |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1966_WS.shtml |access-date=February 7, 2019 |website=[[Baseball Reference]]}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Palmer |first1=Jim |title=Palmer and Weaver: Together We Were Eleven Foot Nine |last2=Dale |first2=Jim |publisher=[[Andrews McMeel Publishing|Andrews and McMeel]] |year=1996 |isbn=0836207815 |location=Kansas City |pages=27–29}}</ref>

On June 26, 1970, Robinson hit back-to-back [[grand slam (baseball)|grand slams]] in the fifth and sixth innings in the Orioles' 12–2 victory over the [[1970 Washington Senators season|Washington Senators]]. The same runners were on base both times: [[Dave McNally]] was on third base, [[Don Buford]] was on second, and [[Paul Blair (baseball)|Paul Blair]] was on first.<ref>{{cite web |author=Huber |first=Mike |title=June 26, 1970: Frank Robinson's back-to-back grand slams |url=https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/june-26-1970-frank-robinsons-back-back-grand-slams |website=[[Society for American Baseball Research]]}}</ref>

The Orioles won three consecutive American League pennants between 1969 and 1971. Before the [[1969 World Series]], Robinson said, "Bring on the Mets and [[Rod Gaspar|Ron Gaspar]]!" He was told by his teammate [[Merv Rettenmund]], "It's Rod, stupid." He then retorted by saying, "OK. Bring on Rod Stupid!"<ref>{{cite web |title=Ultimate Mets Database – Memories of Rod Gaspar |url=http://ultimatemets.com/profile.php?PlayerCode=0172&tabno=7 |access-date=February 7, 2019 |website=Ultimate Mets Database}}</ref> Baltimore won the [[1970 World Series]] over the Reds.<ref name=sabr/>

====Final years as a player (1972–1976)====
[[File:Frank Robinson 1973.jpg|thumb|Robinson, circa 1973]]
Robinson was traded along with [[Pete Richert]] from the Orioles to the [[Los Angeles Dodgers]] for [[Doyle Alexander]], [[Bob O'Brien (baseball)|Bob O'Brien]], [[Sergio Robles]] and [[Royle Stillman]] at the [[Winter Meetings]] on December 2, 1971.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/12/03/archives/dodgers-get-frank-robinson-and-trade-allen-in-separate-deals-by.html |author=Durso, Joseph |title=White Sox Add Bahnsen, Ship McKinney to Yanks |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=December 3, 1971}}</ref> When the [[1972 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."<ref name="John">{{cite book |last1=John |first1=Tommy |title=TJ: My Twenty-Six Years in Baseball |last2=Valenti |first2=Dan |publisher=[[Bantam Books]] |year=1991 |isbn=0-553-07184-X |location=New York |page=127}}</ref> 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 RBI, 86 hits, and 19 home runs.<ref name="bbref"/> Teammate [[Tommy 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."<ref name="John"/>

Robinson's only season with the Dodgers ended when he was dealt along with [[Bill Singer]], [[Bobby Valentine]], [[Billy Grabarkewitz]] and [[Mike Strahler]] to the [[Los Angeles Angels|California Angels]] for [[Andy Messersmith]] and [[Ken McMullen (baseball)|Ken 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 manager [[Al Campanis]] wanted for the team's younger prospects. It also reunited him with Angels general manager [[Harry Dalton]] who had worked in a similar capacity when both were with the Orioles.<ref>{{cite web|first=Joseph|last=Durso|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/11/29/archives/angels-get-dodgers-frank-robinson-aging-star-key-in-7man-trade.html |title=Angels Get Dodgers' Frank Robinson |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=November 29, 1972 |access-date=February 7, 2019}}</ref> In his time with the Angels, he became their first [[designated hitter]] while also being teammates again with [[Vada 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 RBI in 276 games.<ref name="bbref"/>

On September 12, 1974, the Angels traded Robinson to the [[Cleveland Guardians|Cleveland Indians]] for [[Ken Suarez]], cash and a [[player to be named later]] ([[Rusty Torres]]).<ref name="bbref" /> Three weeks later, the Indians named him their [[manager (baseball)|manager]] 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 of [[Doc 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.<ref name="cleveland">{{Cite web |last=Peticca |first=Mike |date=May 25, 2017 |title=Frank Robinson's debut as Cleveland Indians player-manager was historic (photos, audio) |url=https://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ssf/2017/05/frank_robinsons_debut_as_a_pla_1.html |access-date=February 7, 2019 |website=[[The Plain Dealer]]}}</ref> 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.<ref name=sabr/><ref>{{cite web |title=1976 Frank Robinson batting log |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/gl.fcgi?id=robinfr02&t=b&year=1976 |access-date=October 10, 2023 |website=[[Baseball Reference]] |publisher=[[Sports Reference]]}}</ref>

===Career statistics===
During a 21-year baseball career, he [[batting average (baseball)|batted]] .294 with 586 [[home run]]s, 1,812 [[run batted in|runs batted in]], and 2,943 [[Hit (baseball)|hits]].<ref name="bbref"/> At his retirement, his 586 career home runs were the fourth most in history (behind only the records of [[Hank Aaron]], [[Babe Ruth]] and [[Willie Mays]]). He is third on Cincinnati's all-time home run leaders list (324, behind [[Johnny Bench]] and [[Joey Votto]]) and is the Reds' all-time leader in slugging percentage (.554).<ref>{{Cite web |title=All-Time Reds Player Hitting Stat Leaders |url=https://www.mlb.com/reds/stats/all-time-totals |access-date=September 6, 2024 |website=[[Cincinnati Reds]] |publisher=[[MLB.com]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=All-Time Reds Player Hitting Stat Leaders |url=https://www.mlb.com/reds/stats/slugging-percentage/all-time-totals |access-date=September 6, 2024 |website=[[Cincinnati Reds]] |publisher=[[MLB.com]] |language=en}}</ref>

In his career, Robinson held several major league records. In his rookie season, he tied [[Wally Berger]]'s record for home runs by a rookie (38).<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web |last=Acocella |first=Nick |title=Robinson set records and broke barriers |url=https://www.espn.com/classic/biography/s/robinson_frank.html |access-date=February 7, 2019 |website=[[ESPN Classic]]}}</ref> (The current record would be set by [[Pete Alonso]] in 2019.) Robinson still holds the record for home runs on [[Opening Day]] (8), which includes a home run in his first at bat as a player-manager.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/espn/print?id=1531731&type=page2Story |title=Most memorable opening day moments |work=[[ESPN]] |date=March 31, 2003 |access-date=February 7, 2019}}</ref>

Robinson won the 1966 American League [[Triple Crown (baseball)|Triple Crown]] (.316 batting average, 49 home runs, 122 RBI). Only two players ([[Carl Yastrzemski]] and [[Miguel Cabrera]]) have since won the award in either league and the two [[MLB Most Valuable Player Award|MVP awards]], which made him the first player in baseball history to earn the title in both leagues.<ref>{{cite news |last=Sheinin |first=Dave |date=November 15, 2012 |title=Tigers' Miguel Cabrera wins AL MVP over Angels' Mike Trout |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nationals/tigers-miguel-cabrera-wins-al-mvp-over-angels-mike-trout/2012/11/15/51cdbcda-2f5e-11e2-af17-67abba0676e2_story.html |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"  style="font-size: 95%; text-align:center;"
! Category!! G !! BA !! AB !! R !! H !! 2B !! 3B !! HR !! RBI !! SB !! CS !! BB !! SO !! OBP !! SLG !! OPS !! PO !! A !! DP !! E !! FLD% !! {{Abbr|Ref.|References}}
|-
| 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 || <ref name="bbref"/> 
|}