Bob Schultz
Encyclopedia
Robert Duffy Schultz was an American
professional baseball player. A left-handed
pitcher
, his career extended for 11 seasons (1946–1956), including a full season and parts of three others in Major League Baseball
as a member of the Chicago Cubs
, Pittsburgh Pirates
and Detroit Tigers
. Nicknamed "Bullet Bob," Schultz stood 6 in 3 in (1.91 m) tall and weighed 200 pounds (90.7 kg). The native of Louisville, Kentucky
, served in the United States Army Air Forces
during World War II
.
Schultz came to the Major Leagues at age 27 after posting seasons of 20, 16 and 25 victories in minor league baseball
. His 25-win season in 1950 was especially noteworthy as it came with the Nashville Vols
of the Class AA Southern Association
, who played their home games in a hitter's paradise called Sulphur Dell
. Schultz lost only six decisions
and finished second in the league in earned run average
(2.68), just one one-hundredth of a point behind ERA champion Marv Rotblatt (2.67). Schultz broke camp with the 1951 Cubs
out of spring training
and appeared in 17 games
— ten as a starting pitcher
— during the season's early months, but he was sent back to the minors after his last start July 13, when he was knocked out of the box after only one full inning in a start against the Brooklyn Dodgers
.
Schultz then spent the entire 1952 campaign with the Cubs, working in 29 games and winning six of nine decisions. In his finest outing, September 14 at Braves Field
, Schultz pitched a ten-inning complete game
victory over the Boston Braves
, allowing only two runs
and six hits
— and winning the game for himself with an RBI double
. It would be his ninth and final victory in Major League Baseball.
In , he began the season with the Cubs but pitched infrequently and was included in a blockbuster trade to the Pirates on June 4 that netted the Cubs seven-time National League
home run
king Ralph Kiner
. But Schultz dropped all four MLB decisions that year, and spent part of the season, and all of 1954, with the Double-A New Orleans Pelicans
. Back in the Southern Association, he won 27 games for the Pelicans over a season and a half, going 18–11 in 1954. The Tigers purchased his contract, but used him in only one game in , in relief on April 15 against the Cleveland Indians
. He surrendered three runs, all earned
, on two hits and two bases on balls in 1⅓ innings, and was sent back to the minors. He retired after the 1956 season. As a Major Leaguer, Schultz allowed 179 hits and 125 bases on balls in 183 innings of work, with 67 strikeout
s. In the minors, he posted a 128–99 record in 345 games.
Settling in Nashville, Schultz became a house painter and continued to play both semiprofessional baseball as well as softball
. He was shot to death at age 55 after becoming embroiled in an argument with another patron in the bar of a Nashville Veterans of Foreign Wars
post. He was interred at Nashville National Cemetery
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional baseball player. A left-handed
Left-handed
Left-handedness is the preference for the left hand over the right for everyday activities such as writing. In ancient times it was seen as a sign of the devil, and was abhorred in many cultures...
pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
, his career extended for 11 seasons (1946–1956), including a full season and parts of three others in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
as a member of the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
, Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
and Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
. Nicknamed "Bullet Bob," Schultz stood 6 in 3 in (1.91 m) tall and weighed 200 pounds (90.7 kg). The native of Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, served in the United States Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Schultz came to the Major Leagues at age 27 after posting seasons of 20, 16 and 25 victories in minor league baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
. His 25-win season in 1950 was especially noteworthy as it came with the Nashville Vols
Nashville Vols
The Nashville Vols were a minor league baseball team based in Nashville, Tennessee from 1901 to 1963; the team was inactive in 1962. Known as the Nashville Baseball Club during their first seven seasons, they were officially named the Nashville Volunteers in 1908 for the state's nickname, The...
of the Class AA Southern Association
Southern Association
The Southern Association was a higher-level minor league in American organized baseball from 1901 through 1961. For most of its existence, the Southern Association was two steps below the Major Leagues; it was graded Class A , Class A1 and Class AA...
, who played their home games in a hitter's paradise called Sulphur Dell
Sulphur Dell
Sulphur Dell is a former minor league baseball park in Nashville, Tennessee. It was used for baseball for nearly 100 years, from to . From to , it was the home of the Nashville Vols minor league team...
. Schultz lost only six decisions
Decision (baseball)
A decision is a statistical credit given to a baseball pitcher.There are two types of decisions: win and loss.In order to receive a win, the starting pitcher must complete at least five innings and leave with the lead. If the pitcher's lead is preserved by the bullpen, he is credited with a win...
and finished second in the league in earned run average
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
(2.68), just one one-hundredth of a point behind ERA champion Marv Rotblatt (2.67). Schultz broke camp with the 1951 Cubs
1951 Chicago Cubs season
- Offseason :* October 10, 1950: Hank Edwards and cash were traded by the Cubs to the Brooklyn Dodgers for Dee Fondy and Chuck Connors.- Notable transactions :...
out of spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
and appeared in 17 games
Games played
Games played is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated ; the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.-Baseball:In baseball, the statistic applies also to players who, prior to a game,...
— ten as a starting pitcher
Starting pitcher
In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
— during the season's early months, but he was sent back to the minors after his last start July 13, when he was knocked out of the box after only one full inning in a start against the Brooklyn Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
.
Schultz then spent the entire 1952 campaign with the Cubs, working in 29 games and winning six of nine decisions. In his finest outing, September 14 at Braves Field
Braves Field
Braves Field was a baseball park that formerly stood on Commonwealth Avenue in Boston, Massachusetts. The stadium was home to the Boston Braves National League franchise from 1915–1952, when the team moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin...
, Schultz pitched a ten-inning complete game
Complete game
In baseball, a complete game is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher.As demonstrated by the charts below, in the early 20th century, it was common for most good Major League Baseball pitchers to pitch a complete game almost every start. Pitchers were...
victory over the Boston Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
, allowing only two runs
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
and six hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
— and winning the game for himself with an RBI double
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
. It would be his ninth and final victory in Major League Baseball.
In , he began the season with the Cubs but pitched infrequently and was included in a blockbuster trade to the Pirates on June 4 that netted the Cubs seven-time National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
king Ralph Kiner
Ralph Kiner
Ralph McPherran Kiner is an American former Major League Baseball player and has been an announcer for the New York Mets since the team's inception. Though injuries forced his retirement from active play after 10 seasons, Kiner's tremendous slugging outpaced nearly all of his National League...
. But Schultz dropped all four MLB decisions that year, and spent part of the season, and all of 1954, with the Double-A New Orleans Pelicans
New Orleans Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans were a Minor league professional baseball team based in New Orleans, Louisiana.-Team history:Founded in 1887, the Pelicans became part of the Southern Association in 1901...
. Back in the Southern Association, he won 27 games for the Pelicans over a season and a half, going 18–11 in 1954. The Tigers purchased his contract, but used him in only one game in , in relief on April 15 against the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
. He surrendered three runs, all earned
Earned run
In baseball, an earned run is any run for which the pitcher is held accountable . Any runner who tags his base and reaches home plate is scored against the pitcher as an earned run...
, on two hits and two bases on balls in 1⅓ innings, and was sent back to the minors. He retired after the 1956 season. As a Major Leaguer, Schultz allowed 179 hits and 125 bases on balls in 183 innings of work, with 67 strikeout
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
s. In the minors, he posted a 128–99 record in 345 games.
Settling in Nashville, Schultz became a house painter and continued to play both semiprofessional baseball as well as softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
. He was shot to death at age 55 after becoming embroiled in an argument with another patron in the bar of a Nashville Veterans of Foreign Wars
Veterans of Foreign Wars
The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States is a congressionally chartered war veterans organization in the United States. Headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, VFW currently has 1.5 million members belonging to 7,644 posts, and is the largest American organization of combat...
post. He was interred at Nashville National Cemetery
Nashville National Cemetery
Nashville National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in Madison, a suburb of Nashville, in Davidson County, Tennessee. It encompasses , and as of the end of 2005, had 34,637 interments.- History :...
.