Ronald Dean Robinson (born March 24, 1962) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

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, ...

. A right-hander, he played nine seasons in

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 ...

for the

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 ...

(1984–90) and the

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

(1990–92).

Early career

Robinson was drafted by the Reds out of Woodlake High School in

Woodlake, California Woodlake is a city in Tulare County, California, United States. It is situated in the San Joaquin Valley near the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. The population was 7,419 at the 2020 census, up from 7,279 at the 2010 census. In 1912, the cit ...

, with their first-round pick (19th overall) in the 1980 amateur draft. He spent the next four years moving through the Reds' farm system before making his major league debut on August 14, 1984.

Major league career

Reds

Although he had been almost exclusively a

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 pit ...

in the

minor leagues Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nort ...

, his first major league appearance came as a

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who pitches in the game after the starting pitcher or another relief pitcher has been removed from the game due to fatigue (medical), fatigue, injury, ineffectiveness, ejection ...

, pitching the final two innings of a game against 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

. Four days later, he made his first major league start against the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

, but he recorded just one out while giving up seven runs. However, only one run was earned, as the Reds infield made three errors—two by

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball positions, baseball or softball fielding position between second base, second and third base, which is considered to be among the Defensive spectrum, most demanding defensive positions. Historically, the ...

Tom Foley Thomas Stephen Foley (March 6, 1929 – October 18, 2013) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 49th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1989 to 1995. A member of the Democratic Party, Foley represente ...

-- behind him. After being sent back to the bullpen for several games, Robinson got another chance at starting on September 2 against 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 ...

. This time, he was much more successful, as he recorded a

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—pitche ...

, giving up just seven hits to gain his first major league win, 7–1. He threw seven shutout innings in his next start, but left with the game still scoreless and did not get the win as the Reds won 1–0. He started three more games, finishing the season with a record of 1–2. Robinson started the 1985 season back in the minor leagues with the Triple-A

Denver Zephyrs The Denver Zephyrs (formerly the Denver Bears) were a Minor League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado, United States. They were a Triple-A team that played in the American Association from 1955 to 1962, the Pacific Coast League from 1963 to ...

. He was recalled in mid-May, and worked the rest of the season as a swingman, starting 12 games and relieving in 21. In 1986, Robinson, who was nicknamed "The True Creature" by then-Reds manager

Pete Rose Peter Edward Rose Sr. (April 14, 1941 – September 30, 2024), nicknamed "Charlie Hustle", was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1963 to 1986, most prominently as a member of ...

, worked solely in relief, appearing in 70 games, going 10–3 with a 3.24 earned run average (ERA) and 14 saves. In 1987, he returned to the swingman role. One of Robinson's most memorable starts came on May 2, 1988, when he came within one strike of throwing a

perfect game Perfect game may refer to: Sports * Perfect game (baseball), a complete-game win by a pitcher allowing no baserunners * Perfect game (bowling), a 300 game, 12 consecutive strikes in the same game * Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League, New Yo ...

against 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 ...

. With a single, Montreal's Wallace Johnson broke up what would have been the first

in Reds history. According to teammate

Tom Browning Thomas Leo Browning (April 28, 1960 – December 19, 2022) was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1984 to 1995, spending almost his entire career with the Cincinnati Reds. In his rookie season in 1985, ...

, Robinson was pitching with pain in his elbow so severe that he could not pick up a ball from the ground without squatting down to pick it up. Browning would throw the Reds' first perfect game four months later. Robinson missed large chunks of both 1988 and 1989 due to injuries. After starting the 1990 season 2–2 with a 4.88 ERA in six games, the Reds traded him along with

Bob Sebra Robert Bush Sebra (December 11, 1961 – July 22, 2020) was an American professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Montreal Expos, Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds, and Milwaukee Brew ...

to the Brewers for Glenn Braggs and

Billy Bates Willie Bates (19 November 1855 – 8 January 1900), known as Billy Bates, was an English cricketer. Skilled with both bat and ball, Bates scored over 10,000 first-class runs, took more than 870 wickets and was always reliable in the field. A ...

on June 9, 1990. The trade helped propel the Reds to win the

1990 World Series The 1990 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1990 season. The 87th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the defending champions and heavily favored American League (AL ...

Brewers

The season also wound up being a good one for Robinson, at least statistically. Between his stints with the Reds and the Brewers, Robinson set career highs in wins and innings pitched, while recording seven of his eight career complete games, including his only two major league

shutout In team sports, a shutout (North American English, US) or clean sheet (Commonwealth English, UK) is a game in which the losing team fails to score. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketba ...

s. Overall, Robinson went 14–7 with a 3.26 ERA. In 1991, Robinson started the third game of the season on April 11, pitching 4.1 innings, but in the process he suffered an elbow injury that cost him the rest of the season. He tried to come back in 1992, but pitched in just eight games for the Brewers before being forced to retire at age 30.

Career overview

Robinson posted a career win–loss record of 48–39 with a 3.63 ERA and 19 saves in 232 games, 102 starts and 800 innings pitched.

Personal life

Robinson is married to high school sweetheart Becky Robinson. They have three children, Ronnie, Ryan and Megan.

Notes

References

* Tom Browning and Dann Stupp (2006). ''Tom Browning's Tales from the Reds Dugout''. Sports Publishing LLC.

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Ron Major League Baseball pitchers Milwaukee Brewers players Cincinnati Reds players Tampa Tarpons (1957–1987) players Cedar Rapids Reds players Waterbury Reds players Indianapolis Indians players Wichita Aeros players Denver Zephyrs players Nashville Sounds players Chattanooga Lookouts players Stockton Ports players El Paso Diablos players Baseball players from Tulare County, California 1962 births Living people People from Exeter, California People from Woodlake, California 20th-century American sportsmen