Robin Roberts
A ten-foot high statue of Robin Roberts (September 30, 1926 – May 6, 2010) greets fans at the First Base Gate at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Roberts was a Major League Baseball starting pitcher who played primarily for the Philadelphia Phillies. Over the course of his career, Robin Roberts was two distinctly different pitchers, lasting 19 years in the big leagues by transitioning into a craftsman who outsmarted his opponents.
From 1950-1955, Roberts was arguably the most dominant pitcher in the league. He recorded six straight 20-win seasons and in 1950 led Philadelphia’s “Whiz Kids” to their first World Series appearance since 1915.
In 1952, Roberts had his best season, going 28-7 with a 2.59 ERA over 330 innings. He won his last eight starts of the season—all complete games—including a 17-inning performance against the Braves. It was one of 13 straight complete games he pitched against the Boston/Milwaukee franchise from 1952-54. He went 12-1 over that stretch, losing only when the Braves' Jim Wilson no-hit the Phillies on June 12, 1954.
Roberts never missed a start in the 1950s. He led the National League in innings pitched each year from 1951-55, and in complete games from 1952-56. He amassed a streak of 28 straight complete games during the 1952 and 1953 seasons.
A seven-time All-Star, Roberts was starting pitcher in five All-Star Games, tied for the most all time. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976.
Sculptor Zenos Frudakis created ten-foot tall bronze statues of four of the Philadelphia Phillies’ Hall of Famers, including Robin Roberts. Roberts unveiled his statue during the opening of Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Pitcher
Elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976
Size: 10-feet high
Media: Bronze
Unveiled: Unveiled: April 12, 2004 during the opening of the new Citizens Bank ballpark
Location: First Base Gate, Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Inscription on Plinth: ROBIN ROBERTS. PHILLIES HALL OF FAME PITCHER 1948-1961.