Bob Walk
 |
| Bob Walk | |
|---|---|
 Walk with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1980 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: November 26, 1956 Van Nuys, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| May 26, 1980, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 29, 1993, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 105–81 |
| Earned run average | 4.03 |
| Strikeouts | 848 |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Robert Vernon Walk (born November 26, 1956), nicknamed "The Whirly Bird", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies (1980), Atlanta Braves (1981–1983), and Pittsburgh Pirates (1984–1993).
Philadelphia Phillies
[edit]During his rookie season in Philadelphia, Walk won his first six decisions, finished with an 11–7 record and was the winning pitcher in Game One of the 1980 World Series, his Phillies defeating the Kansas City Royals in six games.
Atlanta Braves
[edit]Walk was traded from the Phillies to the Braves for Gary Matthews on March 25, 1981.[1] He bounced between the main club and Triple-A, until being released in March 1984.
Pittsburgh Pirates
[edit]Walk was signed to a minor league contract by the Pirates and led the Pacific Coast League (PCL) in earned run average (ERA) and wins in 1985, earning a trip back to the majors. He was named to the All-Star team in 1988 when he won 12 games and posted a 2.71 ERA.
In his waning years, Walk served as a spot starter and swingman for the Pirates' teams that won three straight NL East titles from 1990–1992. His most memorable outing being when manager Jim Leyland removed him from the bullpen and named him a surprise starter in Game Five of the 1992 NLCS against Atlanta. Walk tossed a complete game three-hitter to stave off elimination in a series which the Pirates would eventually lose in seven games. He was also the pitcher who was warming up in the bullpen when Francisco Cabrera hit the two-run, game-winning single against Stan Belinda, which won the series for Atlanta. Despite both Walk and Cabrera being right-handers, Leyland opted to keep Belinda (despite having walked Damon Berryhill to load the bases and giving up a deep fly ball to Ron Gant) to pitch to Cabrera.
In 1993, Walk recorded an NL-worst 5.68 ERA and retired after the season.
Post-career
[edit]Walk is currently an announcer for the Pittsburgh Pirates on AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh and radio. He is also a fill-in game analyst for MLB on FOX as well as a game analyst for Peacock’s MLB Sunday Leadoff during Pirates games.
Personal
[edit]Walk is the father of three children, Tommy, Johnny, and Ronnie.[2]
When Walk was a teenager, he attended a game at Dodger Stadium and threw a tennis ball from the stands at Houston Astros centerfielder César Cedeño. He was charged with battery but ultimately released after promising to the judge that he would not go to Dodger Stadium again.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ "Phillies Trade for Matthews," The Associated Press (AP), Wednesday, March 25, 1981. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
- ^ "1992 Topps baseball card # 486".
- ^ Meyer, Paul (August 9, 1998). "Memory loss". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 46. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
External links
[edit]- Career statistics from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- Bob Walk at Baseball Almanac
- 1956 births
- Living people
- Atlanta Braves players
- Baseball players from Los Angeles
- Carolina Mudcats players
- College of the Canyons Cougars baseball players
- Hawaii Islanders players
- Major League Baseball broadcasters
- Major League Baseball pitchers
- National League All-Stars
- Oklahoma City 89ers players
- Peninsula Pilots players
- Sportspeople from Greater Los Angeles
- People from Van Nuys, Los Angeles
- Philadelphia Phillies players
- Pittsburgh Pirates announcers
- Pittsburgh Pirates players
- Reading Phillies players
- Richmond Braves players
- Spartanburg Phillies players