Robert George Wiesler (August 13, 1930 – August 10, 2014) was a

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 ...

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), ...

who played for the

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

and Washington Senators in parts of five seasons spanning 1951–1958. Listed at 6' 3", 188 lb., he was a

switch-hitter In baseball, a switch hitter is a player who bats both right-handed and left-handed, usually right-handed against left-handed pitchers and left-handed against right-handed pitchers. Characteristics Right-handed batters generally hit better aga ...

and threw

left-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...

. Wiesler was signed by the Yankees as an amateur free agent in 1949 out of Beaumont High School in St. Louis, Missouri. He was assigned immediately to the Independence Yankees of the Kansas–Oklahoma–Missouri League, where he posted a 12-11 record with a league-leading 240

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...

s in 185 innings, helping his team to win the regular season pennant and the playoffs. Wiesler gained a promotion to the

Joplin Miners The Joplin Miners was the primary name of the minor league baseball team in Joplin, Missouri that played for 49 seasons between 1901 and 1954. Baseball Hall of Fame Inductees Mickey Mantle and Whitey Herzog played for Joplin. Professional baseba ...

in 1950, and he simply dominated, going 15-7 with 11

complete game In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...

s and two

shutout In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

s, while leading the

Western Association The Western Association was the name of five different leagues formed in American minor league baseball during the 19th and 20th centuries. The oldest league, originally established as the Northwestern League in 1883, was refounded as the Western ...

with a 2.35 ERA and 277 strikeouts, en route to a league pennant and an All-Star recognition. The strong armed lefty opened 1951 with the Kansas City Blues of the

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

, and he responded with a 10-9 mark and a 2.92 ERA in a career-high 194 innings, striking out 162 batters to claim his third strikeout title in a row. He joined the Yankees on August 3 of this year and lost two decisions in four appearances. He was then called up for military service, missing the 1952 season while serving with the United States Army during the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

conflict. Following his discharge, Weisler pitched for the Yankees in parts of two seasons. In 1954, he went 3-2 with a 4.15 ERA in five starts and one relief appearance, and 0-2 with a 3.91 ERA in 16 games (seven starts) in 1955. Prior to the start of the 1956 season, he was traded to the Senators along with

Lou Berberet Louis Joseph Berberet (November 20, 1929 – April 6, 2004) was an American catcher in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Yankees, Washington Senators, Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers between 1954 and 1960. He was born in Long ...

Whitey Herzog Dorrel Norman Elvert "Whitey" Herzog (; born November 9, 1931) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and manager, most notable for his Major League Baseball (MLB) managerial career. He made his MLB debut as a player in 1956 wit ...

Herb Plews Herbert Eugene Plews (June 14, 1928 – December 12, 2014) was an American Major League Baseball second baseman. He played four years in the majors, from 1956 to 1959 with the Washington Senators and in 1959 for the Boston Red Sox. In the min ...

and Dick Tettelbach, in exchange for Bobby Kline and

Mickey McDermott Maurice Joseph "Mickey" McDermott Jr. (April 29, 1929 – August 7, 2003) was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. Pre-professional career Mickey McDermott was the third son of Maurice McDermott Sr., a police officer and fo ...

. Wiesler had a 3-12 record and a 6.44 ERA in 37 games for Washington in 1956, which included 21 starts, three complete games and a five-hit, one run performance against the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

Briggs Stadium Tiger Stadium, previously known as Navin Field and Briggs Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium located in the Corktown, Detroit, Corktown neighborhood of Detroit. The stadium was nicknamed "The Corner" for its location at the intersection of U. ...

. He spent most of the 1957 season with Triple-A

Richmond Virginians The Richmond Virginians was the name of a minor league baseball franchise that played in Richmond, Virginia, from 1954 through 1964. The team competed at the Triple-A level as members of the International League, and were affiliated with the ...

, where he went 12-12 with a 3.75 ERA in 33 games. He also appeared in three games (two starts) for the Senators, going 1-1 with a 4.41 in innings. In his last game of the season, he pitched a seven-hit, one run complete game against 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) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

at Memorial Stadium. Wiesler returned to Richmond in 1958, ending with a 13-9 mark and a 3.07 ERA in 24 starts before joining the Senators late in the season. He was used strictly as a reliever in four games with Washington, where he posted a 6.75 ERA without a decision in innings of work. In a six-season major league career, Weisler finished with a 7-19 record and a 5.74 ERA in 70 games. He enjoyed a solid career in the

Minor Leagues Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...

during 10 seasons between 1949 and 1961, posting a 91-78 record and a 3.70 ERA in 276 pitching appearances. In between, he played winter ball with the

Leones del Caracas The Caracas Base Ball Club C.A. or better known by its commercial name as the ''Leones del Caracas'', is a professional baseball team of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League. In its creation, its headquarters are the University Stadium of C ...

club of the

Venezuelan League The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League or Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional (LVBP) is the professional baseball league in Venezuela. The league's champion takes part in the Caribbean Series each year. History Early years Baseball exp ...

in the 1954–1955 tournament, as part of a pitching staff that included

Don Bessent Fred Donald Bessent (March 13, 1931 – July 7, 1990) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He pitched from 1955 to 1958 with the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers. He was signed by the New York Yankees out of high school, and in his first prof ...

José Bracho José de la Trinidad Bracho (July 23, 1928 – June 16, 2011) was a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher. Listed at 6' 1", 185 lb., he batted and threw right handed. His friends and fans affectionately called him '' Carrao'', a moniker th ...

Howie Fox Howard Francis Fox (March 1, 1921 – October 9, 1955) was an American professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, and Baltimore Orioles, in 9 seasons, between and . ...

Bill Werle William George Werle (December 21, 1920 – November 27, 2010) was a left-handed major league baseball pitcher from Oakland, California. He pitched for the Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox from 1949 to 1954. His nicknam ...

and Luis Zuloaga. He was signed by Yankees scout

Lou Maguolo Louis Dewey Maguolo (8 June 1899 – 14 May 1977) was an American Major League Baseball executive. A baseball scout for the St. Louis Browns and New York Yankees, he was best known for signing Yankee greats Bill Skowron, Tony Kubek, Fritz Peterso ...

. After baseball, Wiesler was employed with the

Anheuser-Busch Brewery Anheuser-Busch Brewery is a brewery complex in St. Louis, Missouri. The brewery, opened in 1852 by German immigrant Adolphus Busch, is designated as a National Historic Landmark District. The Anheuser-Busch Brewery public tours offer hundreds of ...

company in St. Louis. Following his retirement, he moved to

Florissant, Missouri Florissant () is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, within Greater St. Louis. It is a middle class, second-ring northern suburb of St. Louis. Based on the 2020 United States census, the city had a total population of 52,533, making it the 12 ...

, where he died in 2014 at the age of 83.Legacy.com – Robert G. Wiesler obituary
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Sources

External links

, o
Venezuelan Professional Baseball League statistics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wiesler, Bob 1930 births 2014 deaths United States Army personnel of the Korean War Baseball players from St. Louis Dallas Rangers players Independence Yankees players Joplin Miners players Kansas City Blues (baseball) players Leones del Caracas players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Major League Baseball pitchers New York Yankees players Richmond Virginians (minor league) players Syracuse Chiefs players Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) players Washington Senators (1901–1960) players People from Florissant, Missouri