Bob Cluck
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Robert Alton Cluck (born January 10, 1946) is an American former minor league baseball
pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...
who later went on to become a scout, a minor league manager and a pitching coach at the major and minor league levels.


Minor league playing career

Cluck began his playing career in 1967 with the Salt Lake City Giants of the
San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
organization. In 21 games, he went 3-2 with a 4.20 ERA. He was signed by former Major League Manager Dave Garcia as a pitcher after becoming the MVP at San Diego City College in 1965 then going 7-3 and hitting .361 his senior year at
San Diego State University San Diego State University (SDSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Diego, California, United States. Founded in 1897, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CS ...
. In 2007 Cluck was inducted into the San Diego State Aztecs Hall of Fame. His number 39 was also retired. From 1968 to 1971, Cluck played in the
Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...
farm system. In 1968, he pitched for the
Clinton Pilots Clinton is an England, English toponymic surname, indicating one's ancestors came from English places called Glympton or Glinton, Cambridgeshire, Glinton.Hanks, P. & Hodges, F. ''A Dictionary of Surnames''. Oxford University Press, 1988 Clinton (g ...
and Salem Rebels, going a combined 2-2 with a 1.61 ERA in five games started. In 1969, he pitched for the Rebels, going 10-4 with a 2.25 ERA in 20 games (18 starts). He spent the 1970 season with the Waterbury Pirates, going 5-3 with a 3.10 ERA in 22 games (eight starts). With Waterbury again in 1971, he went 2-3 with a 3.80 ERA in 30 games (three starts). He played in the
Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...
organization from 1972 to 1975. For the Oklahoma City 89ers in 1972, he went 3-2 with a 3.34 ERA in 46 relief appearances while leading the team in saves. In 1973, he pitched for the Denver Bears, going 6-3 with a 3.82 ERA in 38 relief appearances while again leading his team in saves as the teams closer. He split the 1974 season between two teams – the Cedar Rapids Astros and the Bears – going a combined 1-3 with a 2.10 ERA in 24 games. He played his final season in 1975, as a Player/Manager for the
Dubuque Packers Minor league baseball teams have operated in the city of Dubuque, Iowa under a variety of names in various leagues, playing in 52 seasons between 1879 and 1976. Dubuque teams were an affiliate of the Houston Astros (1975–1976), Kansas City Royal ...
. He finished an eight-year career with a 35-22 record and an ERA of 2.97.Baseball Reference minors
/ref> From 1967-1973 he served six years in the U.S. Army National Guard and was honorably discharged in 1973 after missing nearly 100 games while attending Guard meetings and summer camps.


Coaching and managing

Cluck managed the
Dubuque Packers Minor league baseball teams have operated in the city of Dubuque, Iowa under a variety of names in various leagues, playing in 52 seasons between 1879 and 1976. Dubuque teams were an affiliate of the Houston Astros (1975–1976), Kansas City Royal ...
in 1975 and for part of the 1976 season. In 1975, he led them to a record of 58-67, which placed the team seventh in the standings. He was also the manager in 1976. He was a scout and Director of Instruction for the Houston Astros from 1977 to 1981. During the 1979, 1980, and 1981 seasons he held the position of "Interim Major League Pitching Coach" when Pitching Coach Mel Wright developed cancer. With the Astros he signed All-Star Dave Smith (219 career saves). He became the Director of Player Development for the San Diego Padres from 1982 to 1983. During his tenure as Farm Director, the Padres developed
Tony Gwynn Anthony Keith Gwynn Sr. (May 9, 1960 – June 16, 2014), nicknamed "Mr. Padre", was an American professional baseball right fielder, who played 20 seasons (1982–2001) in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres. The left-handed hi ...
,
Robbie Robbie and Robby, also Robbi and Roby, are given names. They are usually encountered as a nickname or a shortened form of Robert, Rob or Robin. The name experienced a significant rise in popularity in Northern Ireland in 2003. Robbie is also a s ...
and Sandy Alomar Jr., John Kruk, Ozzie Guillén, Mitch Williams, Ed Wojna, Benito Santiago, Jimmy Jones, Dave Dravecky, Kevin McReynolds and many others. From 1984 to 1985, he managed the Las Vegas Stars, going 71-65 and 65-79 in those seasons, respectively. He led the team to a third-place finish in 1984, which earned them a spot in the playoffs. From 1990 to 1993, he served as the pitching coach for the
Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...
, and helped develop Darryl Kile, Pete Harnisch, Mark Portugal, and
Curt Schilling Curtis Montague Schilling (born November 14, 1966) is an American former Major League Baseball right handed pitcher and commentator for media outlet BlazeTV. He helped lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a World Series appearance in 1993 World Seri ...
. From 1996 to 1998 he served as the pitching coach for the
Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...
. He quit that job in the spring of 1998 after a disagreement with rookie General Manager Billy Beane. He is the only coach in Major League history to be nominated for the Branch Rickey Award for community service (A's in 1997). He served as a Major League Scout for the
Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos () were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in the National League (baseball), National League ...
(1999–2001), and then became the Major League Pitching coach for 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 club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...
from 2003 to 2005 with long-time friend and Manager Alan Trammell. He was a baseball consultant for the
San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...
system from 2006 to 2009, and is now a Major League Scout for The Tampa Bay Rays. He lives in La Mesa, California with his wife Teri of 56 years, has two daughters (Jennifer and Amber), and two grandsons, Wyatt Robert Lee and Atticus Floyd Lee. Until 1999, he performed with “Cluck and the Chickens”, a garage band formed in 1966 at San Diego State University. For 35 years, he was the director and founder of the San Diego School of Baseball which was known as “The Nations’ #1 Baseball School”. In 2007, he was inducted into the San Diego State University Hall of Fame. He has written ten books on baseball including his ''Play Better Baseball'' and has sold nearly 300,000 books worldwide. He was also the Founder and President of Say No To Drugs, a non-profit inspired by then Padres owner Joan Kroc.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cluck, Bob 1946 births Living people Baseball coaches from California Baseball players from San Diego Cedar Rapids Astros players Clinton Pilots players Denver Bears players Detroit Tigers coaches Dubuque Packers players Houston Astros coaches Las Vegas 51s managers Major League Baseball pitching coaches Minor league baseball coaches Montreal Expos scouts Oakland Athletics coaches Oklahoma City 89ers players Salem Rebels (baseball) players Salt Lake City Giants players Tampa Bay Rays scouts Waterbury Pirates players San Diego High School alumni