Jerry Lee Robertson (October 13, 1943 – March 24, 1996) was an American former professional baseball pitcher.
Career
Born in
Winchester, Kansas, the right-hander was drafted by the
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...
in the 27th round of the 1965 amateur draft, and later drafted by the
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...
from the Cardinals as the 38th pick in the 1968
expansion draft
An expansion draft, in professional sports, occurs when a sports league decides to create one or more new expansion teams or franchises. This occurs mainly in North American sports. One of the ways of stocking the new team or teams is an expansio ...
. He played for the Expos (1969) and
Detroit Tigers (1970).
Robertson started 27 of the 49 games he appeared in during his short MLB career. He pitched in the very first game in Montreal Expos history, contributing 1.1 innings of scoreless relief to an 11–10 victory over 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 league ...
on April 8, 1969. He also had the best
earned run average (ERA) (3.96) of any of the Expos pitchers who started 15 or more games during that inaugural season.
After being used in relief during the early part of the season, Robertson joined the starting rotation on May 23. He pitched six or more innings in 17 of his 27 starts, but did not get much run support from his teammates. In his 16 losses, the Expos scored a ''total'' of just 20 runs, and were victims of a
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 ...
in seven of those games. On September 13, 1969, Robertson picked up his one and only save at the MLB level. He pitched 1 1/3 hitless innings to nail down a 7-5 Expos victory over the Phillies.
Robertson was traded by the Expos to the Detroit Tigers on December 3, 1969, for veteran right-handed pitcher
Joe Sparma
Joseph Blase Sparma (February 4, 1942 – May 14, 1986) was a quarterback in collegiate football (1961–1962) and a pitcher in Major League Baseball (1964–1970).
Quarterback at Ohio State
Born in Massillon, Ohio, Sparma attended Ohio State ...
. In 1970, he appeared in 11 games for the Tigers, all in relief, with an ERA of 3.68. He also spent time with the Triple-A
Toledo Mud Hens
The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played in ...
that year. On March 30, 1971, the Tigers traded him to the New York Mets, and he never again made it back to the big leagues.
Robertson died in an automobile accident in 1996 in
Burlington, Kansas.
See also
*
Montreal Expos all-time roster
References
External links
The Deadball Era
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robertson, Jerry
1943 births
1996 deaths
American expatriate baseball players in Canada
Arkansas Travelers players
Baseball players from Kansas
Detroit Tigers players
Florida Instructional League Cardinals players
Florida Instructional League Expos players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Montreal Expos players
People from Jefferson County, Kansas
Road incident deaths in Kansas
Rock Hill Cardinals players
St. Petersburg Cardinals players
Tidewater Tides players
category:Toledo Mud Hens players
Tulsa Oilers (baseball) players
Washburn Ichabods athletic directors
Washburn Ichabods baseball players