Frank Robinson remembered: Hall of Famer passes away at 83 years old
By Mark Langill
Baseball trailblazer and Hall of Famer Frank Robinson, the first African-American manager and the first player in Major League history to win the MVP in each league, passed away Thursday morning at 83 years old at his home in California.
Robinson’s one season with the Dodgers in 1972 coincided with the birth of future L.A. manager Dave Roberts in May, the passing of Brooklyn Dodger icon Jackie Robinson in October and moved him closer to realizing Jackie Robinson’s dream of an African-American manager in the Major Leagues.
When the Dodgers acquired Frank Robinson from the Baltimore Orioles after the 1971 season in a six-player trade, general manager Al Campanis rolled the dice and hoped there was still power in his bat at age 36. His arrival with 503 career home runs represented the most of any incoming player since the Dodgers moved to the West Coast in 1958.
“We had a lot of young players on the team and I don’t think they realized the greatness of Frank Robinson at that point in his career,” said Al Downing, a Dodger pitcher from 1971–77. “I know Dodger fans didn’t get a chance to see Frank at full strength because of injuries.”
Frank Robinson won National League Rookie of the Year honors with the Cincinnati Reds in 1956. His 38 home runs remained the most by a first-year player in the NL until the Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger hit 39 in 2017. During his career with the Reds from 1956–65, he played in the first game in Dodger Stadium history on Opening Day 1962 and earned the respect of Dodger Hall of Fame pitcher Don Drysdale, who displayed a photo of Frank Robinson in his den for motivation.
Frank Robinson made history as the only person in MLB history to win the MVP in each league, with Cincinnati in 1961 and Baltimore in 1966.
He batted .251 in 103 games with the Dodgers, including 19 home runs and 59 RBI. Robinson primarily batted cleanup and played right field. After three consecutive World Series appearances with Baltimore from 1969–71, he wasn’t in a playoff race as the third-place Dodgers finished 10 1/2 games behind Cincinnati in the National League West.
Frank Robinson became part of a blockbuster deal between the Dodgers and Angels on November 28. The Dodgers sent Robinson, pitchers Bill Singer and Mike Strahler, infielders Bobby Valentine and Billy Grabarkewitz to the Angels in exchange for pitcher Andy Messersmith and infielder Ken McMullen.
In 1975, Frank Robinson became a player-manager with the Cleveland Indians. He retired as a player after the 1976 season with 586 lifetime home runs. He managed 2,241 games with Cleveland (1975–77), San Francisco (1981–84), Baltimore (1988–91) and Montreal/Washington (2002–06).
In 2016, he would watch Roberts and Dusty Baker of the Washington Nationals become the first African-American managers to meet in a playoff series.
“We are deeply saddened by this loss of our friend, colleague and legend, who worked in our game for more than 60 years,” said baseball commissioner Rob Manfred. “On behalf of Major League Baseball, I send my deepest condolences to Frank’s wife Barbara, daughter Nichelle, their entire family and the countless fans who admired this great figure of our National Pastime.”
The Robinson family has asked that, in lieu of flowers, contributions in Frank’s memory can be made to the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee or the National Museum of African American History & Culture in Washington, D.C.
“We have lost one of the greatest players and ambassadors of our game today in Frank Robinson,” Roberts said. “I had known Frank for almost two decades, meeting him when he was the manager of the Montreal Expos in 2002. He was a dear friend and mentor to me and he was instrumental in keeping me connected to the game. Frank opened the doors for us in becoming the first African American manager in baseball. We spent many hours together and he would always stop by my office to give me advice and stress the responsibility I have to educate and lead not only African American players, but players of all races. I have lost a very dear friend and my thoughts and prayers go out to Barbara and his family during this difficult time.”
