Robert William Stanley (born November 10, 1954) is an American former

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 profession ...

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weathe ...

who spent his entire

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 ...

(MLB) career with the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's ei ...

. He was later the pitching coach for the

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fie ...

, Triple-A affiliate of the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home gam ...

, through the 2018 season.

Early life

Stanley attended Kearny High School in

Kearny, New Jersey Kearny ( ) is a town in the western part of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States and a suburb of Newark. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town's population was 40,684,perfect game in May 1973 against Bloomfield High School.

Playing career

Stanley was selected by the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brookl ...

in the ninth round of the June 1973 MLB draft, but did not sign with the team, choosing instead to attend college. During this era, another draft was held in the winter; Stanley was selected by the

in the first round of the January 1974 secondary draft, and this time elected to sign. He began his professional career with the

Elmira Pioneers The Elmira Pioneers are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Elmira, New York. They have been affiliated with many major league teams throughout their history. The current Elmira Pioneers play as members of the Perfect Game Collegiate Base ...

in , spent with the Winter Haven Red Sox, and advanced to the Bristol Red Sox at the Double-A level in . Stanley made his major league debut with the

Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

on April 16, . Stanley was named an All-Star in , a year in which he pitched in 40 games (30 starts). He won 16 games and lost 12, with an

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA) of 3.99. Following two more seasons of mixed usage, Stanley was deployed as a full-time relief pitcher in

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...

, maintaining a 3.10 ERA over innings pitched. As of the beginning of the 2022 season, this remains the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league b ...

record for innings pitched by a relief pitcher. While he was not named to the All-Star team, Stanley was recognized with down-ballot votes for the

Cy Young Denton True "Cy" Young (March 29, 1867 – November 4, 1955) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher. Born in Gilmore, Ohio, he worked on his family's farm as a youth before starting his professional baseball career. Young entered t ...

and

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a partic ...

awards. He was named to his second All-Star team the following season, , appearing in 64 games and pitching innings, while recording 33 saves and a 2.85 ERA, and he remained a fixture of the Red Sox bullpen in the years which followed. Stanley was a key member of the 1986 Red Sox team that came within one strike of winning the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the Wor ...

but ultimately fell to the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major leagu ...

in seven games. Stanley entered Game 6 with the Red Sox one out away from clinching their first World Series since 1918, holding a one-run lead with runners on first and third. Stanley threw a

wild pitch In baseball, a wild pitch (WP) is charged against a pitcher when his pitch is too high, too short, or too wide of home plate for the catcher to control with ordinary effort, thereby allowing a baserunner, or the batter (on an uncaught third st ...

to Mookie Wilson which allowed Kevin Mitchell to score the tying run and

Ray Knight Charles Ray Knight (born December 28, 1952) is an American former Major League Baseball infielder best remembered for his time with the Cincinnati Reds and New York Mets. Originally drafted by the Reds in the tenth round of the 1970 Major Leag ...

to move to second base, putting him in position to score the winning run on

Bill Buckner William Joseph Buckner (December 14, 1949 – May 27, 2019) was an American first baseman and left fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played for five teams from through , most notably the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston R ...

's fielding error. Stanley and the Red Sox returned to

Shea Stadium Shea Stadium (), formally known as William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, Queens, New York City.

for Game 7, which the New York Mets won by a score of 8–5. In , Stanley was converted to a regular

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting p ...

for the first time since 1979, compiling a 4–15 record with 67

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 ...

s and a 5.01 ERA. After returning to the bullpen to pitch two more seasons as a reliever, Stanley announced his retirement on September 25, . In a 13-year career spent entirely with the Red Sox, he compiled a 115–97

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 match ...

with 693

s, a 3.64 ERA, 21

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—pitch ...

s, seven

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, 132 saves, and 1707

innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one innin ...

in 637 games (85 as a starter). A sinker ball specialist, Stanley is the Red Sox all-time leader in appearances and relief wins, and was inducted to the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2000. Stanley was also the team's all-time saves leader, a record he held for 20 years, until

Jonathan Papelbon Jonathan Robert Papelbon (; born November 23, 1980) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), most notably for the Boston Red Sox, with whom he was an All-Star in four cons ...

tied him on June 29, 2009, and then passed him on July 1, 2009. Stanley is the first, and to date only, player born in

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...

to be named to an

MLB All-Star Game The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual professional baseball game sanctioned by Major League Baseball (MLB) and contested between the all-stars from the American League (AL) and National ...

Coaching career

Prior to joining the Blue Jays, Stanley served as a minor league pitching coach in the

' and

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yo ...

' organizations, including service with the

Connecticut Defenders The Connecticut Defenders were a Minor League Baseball team based in Norwich, Connecticut. The team, which played in the Eastern League, was the Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants major-league club from 2003 until following the 2009 ...

, the Giants' Double-A Eastern League affiliate. On December 23, 2011, Stanley was announced as the pitching coach for the Blue Jays' Triple-A affiliate, the Las Vegas 51s. On January 7, 2013, Toronto announced that Stanley would be the pitching coach for their new Triple-A

farm club In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...

, the

. Almost a year later, on January 4, 2014, the Blue Jays announced that Stanley would be replacing Pat Hentgen as their bullpen coach. On December 19, Stanley was named the pitching coach for the Double-A

New Hampshire Fisher Cats The New Hampshire Fisher Cats are a Minor League Baseball team based in Manchester, New Hampshire. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays major league club. During the team's first seas ...

. On January 19, 2016, Stanley was announced as returning to the Buffalo Bisons. Stanley was confirmed to return for a third season as the Bisons' pitching coach on January 19, 2017.

Personal

During his career, Stanley earned the nicknames "the Steamer" and "Bigfoot." He lives in the Seacoast region of southern

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the n ...

. On April 4, 2011, he was named President of the Seacoast Mavericks of the

Futures Collegiate Baseball League The Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL) is an eight-team collegiate summer baseball league. It has four franchises in Massachusetts, two in Connecticut, and one each in New Hampshire and Vermont. Format The Futures League is a wood-bat ...

(FCBL). On June 10, 2011, Stanley threw out the first pitch to inaugurate the Martha's Vineyard Sharks of the FCBL.

Highlights

*Two-time All-Star (1979, 1983) *Two-time Top 10 in

Cy Young Award The Cy Young Award is given annually to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball (MLB), one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL). The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hal ...

voting (7th, 1978; 7th, 1982) *Three-times led MLB in relief innings (1981–1983) *Set an

record in relief innings (, 1982) *On May 22, 1983, Stanley became the most recent MLB player to pitch 10 or more innings in relief.

References

External links

: {{DEFAULTSORT:Stanley, Bob 1954 births Living people American League All-Stars Baseball players from Maine Baseball players from New Jersey Boston Red Sox players Bristol Red Sox players Elmira Pioneers players Kearny High School (New Jersey) alumni Major League Baseball bullpen coaches Major League Baseball pitchers Pawtucket Red Sox players People from Stratham, New Hampshire Sportspeople from Portland, Maine Toronto Blue Jays coaches Winter Haven Red Sox players People from Kearny, New Jersey Sportspeople from Hudson County, New Jersey Baseball coaches from Maine Sportspeople from Rockingham County, New Hampshire