Robert Anthony Asbjornson (June 19, 1909 – January 21, 1970) was a

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

who played for 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) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

(–) and

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

(–). Asbjornson batted and threw right-handed. He was born in

Concord, Massachusetts Concord () is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. In the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the town population was 18,491. The United States Census Bureau considers Concord part of Greater Boston. The town center is n ...

. Asbjornson was 19 years old when he debuted with the Boston Red Sox in 1928, being one of seven catchers used by the Red Sox in an unsuccessful attempt to replace retired Grover Hartley. Later, he saw more action with the Cincinnati Reds as a backup for Clyde Sukeforth and

Ernie Lombardi Ernesto Natali Lombardi (April 6, 1908 – September 26, 1977) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a catcher for the Brooklyn Robins, Cincinnati Reds, Boston Braves, and New York Giants durin ...

in part of two seasons. His best year was , when he posted career-highs in

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

(.305),

runs batted in A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if th ...

(22) and

games played Games played (GP) is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated (in any capacity); the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested. Associat ...

(45). In a four-season career, Asbjornson was a .235 hitter with one

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

and 27 RBI in 97 games. Asbjornson died in

Williamsport, Pennsylvania Williamsport is a city in and the county seat of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 27,754. It is the principal city of the Williamsport Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a populati ...

, at the age of 60.

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1909 births 1970 deaths Major League Baseball catchers Boston Red Sox players Cincinnati Reds players Akron Tyrites players Baltimore Orioles (International League) players Dallas Steers players Fort Worth Cats players Pine Bluff Judges players Pittsfield Hillies players Nashville Vols players Toledo Mud Hens players Waco Cubs players Williamsport Grays players Baseball players from Concord, Massachusetts Baseball players from Williamsport, Pennsylvania 20th-century American sportsmen American people of Norwegian descent American people of Swedish descent {{US-baseball-catcher-1900s-stub