Robert Lee Harrison (September 22, 1930 – January 11, 2023) was an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

player, a right-handed

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

who had two one-game end-of-season trials in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

for the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

in and . He batted left-handed, stood tall and weighed . He was born in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

. In 1955, after a 14–12

win–loss record In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of matc ...

in the Class A Western League, Harrison was called to Baltimore when the rosters expanded in September. He relieved starting pitcher

Eddie Lopat Edmund Walter Lopat (originally Lopatynski) (June 21, 1918 – June 15, 1992) was a Major League Baseball pitcher, coach, manager, front office executive, and scout. He was sometimes known as "The Junk Man", but better known as "Steady Eddie ...

in the fifth inning of the second game of a twinight doubleheader on September 23 at

Griffith Stadium Griffith Stadium stood in Washington, D.C., from 1911 to 1965, between Georgia Avenue and 5th Street (left field), and between W Street and Florida Avenue NW. The site was once home to a wooden baseball park. Built in 1891, it was called Boundar ...

against the Washington Senators. Harrison hurled two innings and surrendered four bases on balls, two hits and two

earned runs In baseball, an earned run is any run that was fully enabled by the offensive team's production in the face of competent play from the defensive team. Conversely, an unearned run is a run that would not have been scored without the aid of an erro ...

in a 7–3 Oriole defeat. The following season, Harrison won 10 games and lost 12 in a year split between the Double-A

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

and the Open-Classification Pacific Coast League. Recalled by the Orioles again, he started on September 26, 1956, at Memorial Stadium against the eventual world champion

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

. He lasted only 1⅔ innings, giving up three earned runs, three hits and five walks. However, Harrison was not charged with the 11–6 Baltimore defeat, as

Hal Brown Hector Harold Brown (December 11, 1924 – December 17, 2015) was an American professional baseball player and right-handed pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball from through for the Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, ...

, who relieved him in the second inning, gave up the winning run. Altogether Harrison appeared in two MLB games, pitched in 3⅔ innings, and gave up five earned runs, six hits, and five bases on balls. He did not record a strikeout. His eight-year pro career concluded after the 1958 season. Harrison died in

Fishers, Indiana Fishers is a city in Fall Creek and Delaware townships, Hamilton County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2010 census the population was 76,794, and by 2019 the estimated population was 95,310. A suburb of Indianapolis, Fishers has grown rapidl ...

on January 11, 2023, at the age of 92.

References

External links

Major League statistics from Baseball ReferenceMinor league statistics from Baseball Reference
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harrison, Bob 1930 births 2023 deaths Baltimore Orioles players Baseball players from St. Louis Major League Baseball pitchers Wichita Indians players