Rob Butler
Encyclopedia
Robert Frank John Butler (born April 10, 1970 in East York
, Ontario
) is a former Major League Baseball
outfielder
with the Toronto Blue Jays
and the Philadelphia Phillies
. He is also a former baseball
player with the Toronto Maple Leafs baseball club of the Intercounty Baseball League
.
Butler first signed with the Blue Jays as an amateur free agent on September 24, 1990. On June 12, 1993, Butler made his major league debut with the Blue Jays, but he only played in 17 regular season games due to a hand injury he suffered when attempting to steal a base
. In that short time, he had a .271 batting average
with four doubles, two RBIs and 12 strikeouts. He also drew seven walks and went 2-for-4 stealing bases. When the Blue Jays reached the World Series
, he went 1-for-2 with a pinch hit single
off Curt Schilling
. He went on to win the World Series
championship with his hometown team making him the only Canadian player to have won a World Series with the Blue Jays.
In 1994, Butler played in 41 games for the Blue Jays, batting .176 with one triple
and five RBIs. Much of his time was split between the Blue Jays and their AAA affiliate, the Syracuse Chiefs. On December 5, 1994 he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies
.
With the Phillies organization, Butler spent much of it in their minor league system, but was called up in 1997, and played in only 43 games, batting .292 with nine doubles, one triple, and 13 RBIs.
On December 22, 1997, Butler signed with the Houston Astros
and spent 1998 in their minor league system.
On December 23, 1998, he returned to the Blue Jays as a free agent and appeared in only eight games with the Jays during the 1999 season. On July 10, 1999, Butler played his last game as a Major League Baseball player.
In 2001, Butler joined the Toronto Maple Leafs Baseball Club as an outfielder. He was also joined by his brother Rich Butler
, and later by former Blue Jays pitcher
Paul Spoljaric
. For much of those years, Rob finished the season as the team's batting leader, and in 2002, he won the League championship with them. In 2005, Butler played his last game with the Leafs, announcing his retirement from the game.
As of April 2009, Butler is a coach with the Canadian National Junior Team.
East York
East York can refer to:*East York, Pennsylvania, United States*East York, Ontario, Canada...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
) is a former 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...
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...
with the Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
and the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
. He is also a former baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player with the Toronto Maple Leafs baseball club of the Intercounty Baseball League
Intercounty Baseball League
The Intercounty Baseball League is a semi-professional baseball organization located in the Canadian province of Ontario. The league was formed in 1919....
.
Butler first signed with the Blue Jays as an amateur free agent on September 24, 1990. On June 12, 1993, Butler made his major league debut with the Blue Jays, but he only played in 17 regular season games due to a hand injury he suffered when attempting to steal a base
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
. In that short time, he had a .271 batting average
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 :...
with four doubles, two RBIs and 12 strikeouts. He also drew seven walks and went 2-for-4 stealing bases. When the Blue Jays reached the World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
, he went 1-for-2 with a pinch hit single
Single (baseball)
In baseball, a single is the most common type of base hit, accomplished through the act of a batter safely reaching first base by hitting a fair ball and getting to first base before a fielder puts him out...
off Curt Schilling
Curt Schilling
Curtis Montague "Curt" Schilling is a former American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He helped lead the Philadelphia Phillies to the World Series in and won World Series championships in with the Arizona Diamondbacks and in and with the Boston Red Sox. Schilling retired with a...
. He went on to win the World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
championship with his hometown team making him the only Canadian player to have won a World Series with the Blue Jays.
In 1994, Butler played in 41 games for the Blue Jays, batting .176 with one triple
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
and five RBIs. Much of his time was split between the Blue Jays and their AAA affiliate, the Syracuse Chiefs. On December 5, 1994 he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
.
With the Phillies organization, Butler spent much of it in their minor league system, but was called up in 1997, and played in only 43 games, batting .292 with nine doubles, one triple, and 13 RBIs.
On December 22, 1997, Butler signed with the Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
and spent 1998 in their minor league system.
On December 23, 1998, he returned to the Blue Jays as a free agent and appeared in only eight games with the Jays during the 1999 season. On July 10, 1999, Butler played his last game as a Major League Baseball player.
In 2001, Butler joined the Toronto Maple Leafs Baseball Club as an outfielder. He was also joined by his brother Rich Butler
Rich Butler
Richard Dwight Butler is a former outfielder for the Major League Baseball Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Devil Rays...
, and later by former Blue Jays 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...
Paul Spoljaric
Paul Spoljaric
Paul Nikola Spoljaric is a former left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who last played in the major leagues for the Kansas City Royals in ....
. For much of those years, Rob finished the season as the team's batting leader, and in 2002, he won the League championship with them. In 2005, Butler played his last game with the Leafs, announcing his retirement from the game.
As of April 2009, Butler is a coach with the Canadian National Junior Team.