Bob Purkey
| Bob Purkey | |||
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Purkey in 1958.
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| Pitcher | |||
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Born: July 14, 1929 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
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Died: March 16, 2008 (aged 78) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
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| MLB debut | |||
| April 14, 1954, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| July 26, 1966, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 129–115 | ||
| Earned run average | 3.79 | ||
| Strikeouts | 793 | ||
| Teams | |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
Robert Thomas Purkey (July 14, 1929 – March 16, 2008) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball known for his use of the knuckleball. From 1954 through 1966, Purkey played for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1954–57, 1966), Cincinnati Redlegs/Reds (1958–64) and St. Louis Cardinals (1965). In 1974 he was elected to the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame.
Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Purkey signed with his hometown Pirates before the 1948 season. He reached the major leagues in 1954, but after four seasons in which he was used largely in relief, posting a combined record of 16-29, he was traded in December 1957 to the Reds for left-hander Don Gross.
Installed in the Reds' starting rotation, Purkey enjoyed a great deal of success over the next seven seasons, peaking with a 23-5 season in 1962, finishing 8th in voting for the National League's MVP award. He had won 16 games with the Reds' 1961 pennant winners, and was named to the NL All-Star team in 1958, 1961 and 1962, starting the second 1961 game. He started Game 3 of the 1961 World Series against the New York Yankees, and pitched a complete game but took the 3-2 loss after allowing solo home runs by Johnny Blanchard and Roger Maris in the 8th and 9th innings. He was one of eight pitchers used by the Reds in the 13-5 loss in Game 5, pitching the 5th and 6th innings and allowing two unearned runs, as the Yankees took the Series four games to one.
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