Robin Roberts
Roberts threw more innings than any pitcher in the 1950s, and it wasn't particularly close. His 4,689 career innings tell the story of baseball's last great workhorse, a right-hander who averaged over 300 innings per season during his Philadelphia peak. That 286-245 record reflects both his durability and the Phillies' inconsistent support — he lost 20 games in a season twice despite posting solid ERAs.
The ERA+ of 115 understates his dominance during the early 1950s, when he peaked at 151 and helped carry Philadelphia to its first pennant in 35 years. Roberts mastered the art of pitching to contact while missing enough bats to accumulate 2,357 strikeouts, impressive for his era.
His 1976 Hall of Fame induction recognized what teammates already knew: Roberts redefined pitcher endurance in the modern game, completing 305 of his 609 starts when complete games still mattered.
Career · Hitting
19 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | PHI | 21 | 44 | 1 | 5 | .250 | — | — |
| 1949 | PHI | 43 | 67 | 0 | 4 | .075 | — | — |
| 1950 | PHI | 40 | 102 | 0 | 7 | .118 | — | — |
| 1951 | PHI | 44 | 87 | 0 | 4 | .172 | — | — |
| 1952 | PHI | 39 | 112 | 0 | 7 | .125 | — | — |
| 1953 | PHI | 44 | 123 | 1 | 7 | .179 | — | — |
| 1954 | PHI | 45 | 122 | 0 | 6 | .123 | .344 | — |
| 1955 | PHI | 51 | 107 | 2 | 13 | .252 | .827 | — |
| 1956 | PHI | 43 | 100 | 1 | 8 | .200 | .518 | — |
| 1957 | PHI | 39 | 80 | 0 | 6 | .163 | .413 | — |
| 1958 | PHI | 36 | 99 | 0 | 9 | .202 | .527 | — |
| 1959 | PHI | 35 | 89 | 0 | 3 | .191 | .489 | — |
| 1960 | PHI | 35 | 79 | 0 | 4 | .152 | .376 | — |
| 1961 | PHI | 26 | 33 | 0 | 0 | .091 | .234 | — |
| 1962 | BAL | 27 | 52 | 0 | 2 | .192 | .483 | — |
| 1963 | BAL | 35 | 79 | 0 | 8 | .203 | .465 | — |
| 1964 | BAL | 31 | 68 | 0 | 0 | .132 | .339 | — |
| 1965 | BAL | 30 | 56 | 0 | 10 | .196 | .578 | — |
| 1966 | HOU | 24 | 26 | 0 | 0 | .115 | .349 | — |
| Career | 688 | 1525 | 5 | 103 | .167 | — | — | |
Career · Pitching
19 seasons| Year | Team | G | IP | W | L | ERA | ERA+ | SO | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | PHI | 20 | 146.7 | 7 | 9 | 3.19 | 129 | 84 | 1.425 |
| 1949 | PHI | 43 | 226.7 | 15 | 15 | 3.69 | 112 | 95 | 1.341 |
| 1950 | PHI | 40 | 304.3 | 20 | 11 | 3.02 | 144 | 146 | 1.180 |
| 1951 | PHI | 44 | 315.0 | 21 | 15 | 3.03 | 133 | 127 | 1.105 |
| 1952 | PHI | 39 | 330.0 | 28 | 7 | 2.59 | 143 | 148 | 1.021 |
| 1953 | PHI | 44 | 346.7 | 23 | 16 | 2.75 | 151 | 198 | 1.111 |
| 1954 | PHI | 45 | 336.7 | 23 | 15 | 2.97 | 131 | 185 | 1.025 |
| 1955 | PHI | 41 | 305.0 | 23 | 14 | 3.28 | 122 | 160 | 1.131 |
| 1956 | PHI | 43 | 297.3 | 19 | 18 | 4.45 | 89 | 157 | 1.238 |
| 1957 | PHI | 39 | 249.7 | 10 | 22 | 4.07 | 94 | 128 | 1.158 |
| 1958 | PHI | 35 | 269.7 | 17 | 14 | 3.24 | 119 | 130 | 1.190 |
| 1959 | PHI | 35 | 257.3 | 15 | 17 | 4.27 | 91 | 137 | 1.174 |
| 1960 | PHI | 35 | 237.3 | 12 | 16 | 4.02 | 95 | 122 | 1.222 |
| 1961 | PHI | 26 | 117.0 | 1 | 10 | 5.85 | 69 | 54 | 1.513 |
| 1962 | BAL | 27 | 191.3 | 10 | 9 | 2.78 | 142 | 102 | 1.134 |
| 1963 | BAL | 35 | 251.3 | 14 | 13 | 3.33 | 104 | 124 | 1.074 |
| 1964 | BAL | 31 | 204.0 | 13 | 7 | 2.91 | 123 | 109 | 1.250 |
| 1965 | BAL | 30 | 190.7 | 10 | 9 | 2.78 | 126 | 97 | 1.054 |
| 1966 | HOU | 24 | 112.0 | 5 | 8 | 4.82 | 73 | 54 | 1.446 |
| Career | 676 | 4688.7 | 286 | 245 | — | — | 2357 | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.