Bob Spicer
Encyclopedia
Robert Oberton Spicer is a retired American
professional baseball
player. A right-handed pitcher
and occasional outfielder
, he had a highly successful 15-season minor league
career (1947–1961) but played only four games
as a relief pitcher
in Major League Baseball
for the – Kansas City Athletics
. He batted left-handed
, stood 5 in 10 in (1.78 m) tall and weighed 173 pounds (78.5 kg).
Spicer's career began in the Chicago Cubs
' farm system with 16-, 21- and 20-victory seasons from 1947–1949 in levels ranging from Class D (the lowest rung then on the minor league ladder) to Class AA. In 1949, he helped lead the Macon Peaches
to the Class A Sally League
championship, tying for the league lead in wins with 20, and was selected to the all-star team. He spent four full seasons with the Los Angeles Angels
of the top-level Pacific Coast League
before the Athletics, newly transplanted from Philadelphia
, selected him in the 1954 Rule 5 draft
. He was part of the first Major League team
to represent Kansas City
.
In his first game, April 17, 1955, at Briggs Stadium, he entered the game in the fifth inning with the Detroit Tigers
already leading the Athletics, 6–0. Spicer surrendered one run
in the fifth, but was unable to record an out
in the sixth frame, giving up a leadoff home run
to Al Kaline
, a future Hall of Famer, and leaving the bases loaded
. All would score in an eventual 16–0 Tiger win. Spicer appeared in one more game for Kansas City that season, on April 23 at home against the Chicago White Sox
at Municipal Stadium
. Again he was treated roughly, surrendering two more home runs (to Minnie Miñoso and Jack Harshman
) and five more earned runs in 1⅔ innings in a 29–6 rout. It was his last MLB appearance of 1955.
After a successful 1956 campaign with the Triple-A Columbus Jets
, Spicer returned to the Athletics for a second trial after the rosters expanded in September. In his first outing, September 18, he pitched a scoreless third of an inning in a 6–5 triumph over the Boston Red Sox
in Kansas City. But four days later, in what would be his final MLB game, facing the White Sox at Comiskey Park
, Spicer was roughed up again for five earned runs in another one-sided Chicago win, 17–3. All told, he gave up 15 hits and 15 earned runs in five innings of work, with two strikeouts and five bases on balls.
But he resumed his minor league career in 1957, eventually winning 166 games through 1961. A good-hitting pitcher, he spent some time in the outfield
between pitching assignments, and batted
.244 lifetime.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional baseball
Professional baseball
Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. In these leagues, and associated farm teams, players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system....
player. A right-handed 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...
and occasional outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
, he had a highly successful 15-season minor league
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...
career (1947–1961) but played only four 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,...
as a relief pitcher
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
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...
for the – Kansas City Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
. He batted 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...
, stood 5 in 10 in (1.78 m) tall and weighed 173 pounds (78.5 kg).
Spicer's career began in 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...
' farm system with 16-, 21- and 20-victory seasons from 1947–1949 in levels ranging from Class D (the lowest rung then on the minor league ladder) to Class AA. In 1949, he helped lead the Macon Peaches
Macon Peaches
The Macon Peaches was the predominant name of the American minor league baseball franchise representing Macon, Georgia, during the 20th century....
to the Class A Sally League
Southern League (baseball)
The Southern League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the Southern United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The original league was formed in , and shut down in . A new league, the Southern Association, was formed in , consisting of twelve teams...
championship, tying for the league lead in wins with 20, and was selected to the all-star team. He spent four full seasons with the Los Angeles Angels
Los Angeles Angels (PCL)
The Los Angeles Angels were a team based in Los Angeles, California that played in the Pacific Coast League from 1903 through 1957, after which they transferred to Spokane, Washington to become the Spokane Indians. Los Angeles would later become the host city to a Major League Baseball team, the...
of the top-level Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
before the Athletics, newly transplanted from Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, selected him in the 1954 Rule 5 draft
Rule 5 draft
The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor league affiliate teams when other teams would be willing to...
. He was part of the first Major League team
1955 Kansas City Athletics season
The 1955 Kansas City Athletics season was a season in American baseball. The team won 63 games -- only the fifth time in 20 years that they won more than 60 games -- and lost 91, finishing sixth in the American League, 33 games behind the AL Champion New York Yankees.- Offseason :In 1954, the Mack...
to represent Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
.
In his first game, April 17, 1955, at Briggs Stadium, he entered the game in the fifth inning with the 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...
already leading the Athletics, 6–0. Spicer surrendered one run
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...
in the fifth, but was unable to record an out
Out (baseball)
In baseball, an out occurs when the defensive, or fielding, team effects any of a number of different events, and the umpire rules a batter or baserunner out. When a player is called out, he is said to be retired...
in the sixth frame, giving up a leadoff 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...
to Al Kaline
Al Kaline
Albert William "Al" Kaline is a former Major League Baseball right fielder. He is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Kaline played his entire 22-year baseball career with the Detroit Tigers. Kaline still works for the Tigers as a front office official. Because of his lengthy career and...
, a future Hall of Famer, and leaving the bases loaded
Bases loaded
In the sport of baseball, the bases are loaded when there is a runner on each base . This presents a great scoring opportunity for the batting team, but it also presents an easy double play opportunity for the defense. Causing the bases to become loaded is called loading the bases...
. All would score in an eventual 16–0 Tiger win. Spicer appeared in one more game for Kansas City that season, on April 23 at home against the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
at Municipal Stadium
Municipal Stadium (Kansas City)
Kansas City Municipal Stadium was a baseball and football stadium that formerly stood in Kansas City, Missouri. It hosted the minor league Kansas City Blues of the American Association from 1923 to 1954 and the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues during the same period...
. Again he was treated roughly, surrendering two more home runs (to Minnie Miñoso and Jack Harshman
Jack Harshman
John Elvin Harshman , is a former professional baseball pitcher who played from 1945 through 1960. He played for the New York Giants, Chicago White Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, and Cleveland Indians....
) and five more earned runs in 1⅔ innings in a 29–6 rout. It was his last MLB appearance of 1955.
After a successful 1956 campaign with the Triple-A Columbus Jets
Columbus Jets
The Columbus Jets were a Minor League baseball team that played in Columbus, Ohio from 1955 to 1970. The team moved from Ottawa, Canada where they were known as the Ottawa Athletics. The Jets were a member of the International League. From 1955-56 they were the Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City...
, Spicer returned to the Athletics for a second trial after the rosters expanded in September. In his first outing, September 18, he pitched a scoreless third of an inning in a 6–5 triumph over the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
in Kansas City. But four days later, in what would be his final MLB game, facing the White Sox at Comiskey Park
Comiskey Park
Comiskey Park was the ballpark in which the Chicago White Sox played from 1910 to 1990. It was built by Charles Comiskey after a design by Zachary Taylor Davis, and was the site of four World Series and more than 6,000 major league games...
, Spicer was roughed up again for five earned runs in another one-sided Chicago win, 17–3. All told, he gave up 15 hits and 15 earned runs in five innings of work, with two strikeouts and five bases on balls.
But he resumed his minor league career in 1957, eventually winning 166 games through 1961. A good-hitting pitcher, he spent some time in the outfield
Outfield
The outfield is a sporting term used in cricket and baseball to refer to the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield...
between pitching assignments, and batted
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
.244 lifetime.