The Hall of Fame pitcher won 286 games (most of them for the Phillies) in his career, which spanned from 1948 to 1966. Sports Illustrated’s Joe Posnanski posted a touching eulogy on his blog. Here’s an excerpt:
The thing that jumps out at you when you look back at Roberts’ career are the complete games. From 1950-1956, Robin Roberts started 37 or more games and completed more than 20 games every season … that’s Deadball Era stuff. Roberts led the league in starts six straight years, in complete games five straight years, in innings pitched five straight years, in victories four straight years. He was, in those days, a force of nature. Put it this way: He threw 28 consecutive complete games in 1952-53, and he was so enraged when he got pulled after seven innings against Brooklyn* — Bums Send Roberts To Showers! — that, for perhaps the only time in his career, the genial Roberts refused to talk to reporters.
*It was July 9, 1953 — to give you an idea about the time, that was same day that Ted Williams announced he would play for the Red Sox in 1954 (if they wanted him), one day before Ben Hogan won the British Open at Carnoustie, and the same day when a reported shortage of barbers sparked the trend story that more and more men planned to cut their own hair.