Brooks Robinson, Baseball Hall of Famer, Dead at 86: ‘Great Player, Great Guy’

Baseball Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson has died at age 86.

His family and his former team, the Orioles, announced his death in a joint statement posted on the Major League Baseball (MLB) website on Tuesday.

“We are deeply saddened to share the news of Brooks Robinson’s passing,” they wrote. “An integral part of our Orioles family since 1955, he will continue to make a lasting impact on our club, our community and the sport of baseball.”

After the announcement, fans mourned the baseball great by gathering around a 9-foot bronze statue of him at Camden Yards in Baltimore. In addition, the Orioles also observed a moment of silence before Tuesday night’s game against the Washington Nationals with teams lining up outside their ballparks to pay their respects, according to the Associated Press.

After Baltimore’s 1-0 win against the Nationals, Orioles manager Brandon Hyde told reporters, per ESPN, that he thought many members of the team “played with heavy hearts” following the news of Robinson’s death.

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“He’s an icon in this game and an icon in this city,” he added. “There aren’t many of them.”

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred also considered Robinson “one of the greats of our national pastime,” according to the AP. He also described Robinson as “a model of excellence, endurance, dedication and winning baseball for the Orioles.”

Brooks Robinson during spring training.

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Brooks Calbert Robinson Jr. was born in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1937 with big dreams of playing professional baseball. He impressed scouts from several teams and eventually accepted an offer from the Baltimore Orioles to play professional baseball, writes Reuters.

He was a member of the team from 1955 to 1977 and had several memorable games during that time as a third baseman, including almost single-handedly helping Baltimore defeat Cincinnati in the 1970 World Series.

During his 23-year baseball career, he became one of the most successful Baltimore athletes in history, participating in 18 All-Star games and winning 16 consecutive Gold Gloves, per MLB. He also helped lead the Baltimore Orioles to two World Series championships and was named the 1964 AL MVP and 1970 World Series MVP.

Brooks Robinson poses before an MLB game.

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He finished his career with 268 home runs, 1,357 runs batted in (RBI) and a .267 batting average in 2,896 career games, according to ESPN.

Six years after announcing his retirement, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983. According to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Robinson is the all-time leader among third basemen in hits, assists and double plays, and no other player has played in more games at third base than him.

He later became a director of the Baseball Hall of Fame and a member of the Pension Committee in 1995. He also served as president of the Major League Baseball Players Alumni in his later years.

Former Baltimore Orioles Brooks Robinson 2022

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“For generations of fans, Brooks Robinson’s talent on the field has been surpassed only by his incredible character and integrity,” the Baseball Hall of Fame said in a statement to the AP. “His love for the Hall of Fame enhanced Cooperstown, as did his dedication to the Museum as a longtime and valued member of our Board of Trustees.”

Orioles Hall of Famer Jim Palmer recalled that Robinson was “a great player, a great guy on the field, a great guy off,” according to the AP. He also noted that he was always “respectful” and “kind.”

“You don’t meet too many guys like that. Brooks was an honest person. There was no acting. Brooks was just an honest person,” he added.

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