Willis Roberts
Encyclopedia
Willis Augusto Roberts is a former relief pitcher
in Major League Baseball
, born in San Cristobal
, Dominican Republic
. He batted and threw right-handed. Roberts was signed by the Detroit Tigers
as an amateur free agent
in 1992. He remained with the Tigers organization from 1992 to 1999. He made it to the major leagues in 1999 and played for the Detroit Tigers
, Cincinnati Reds
, Baltimore Orioles
and Pittsburgh Pirates
until 2004.
at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
with 12,033 people attending the game. Roberts relieved Will Brunson
in the sixth inning, pitching one and one-third innings. The Tigers lost the game 11-4.
Roberts was released by the Tigers on February 1, 2000 and immediately joined the Cincinnati Reds
as a free agent. Roberts was granted free agency on October 18 and signed with the Orioles on November 16. In the baseball season, Roberts was most successful in limiting home run
s, only allowing five home run
s in 75 innings. His home run rate was roughly one home run allowed for every eighteen innings pitched, or 0.6 home runs per nine innings. Roberts played three seasons for the Orioles before being granted free agency on October 17, 2003. On January 20, 2004, Roberts signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates as a free agent. He played his final baseball game with the Pittsburgh Pirates on August 13, 2004, retiring just seven days later. The New York Mets
brought Roberts in on a minor league deal prior to the baseball season, but he did not play for them.
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...
, born in San Cristobal
San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic
San Cristóbal is a municipality and the capital of the San Cristóbal province in the Dominican Republic. Within the municipality there is one municipal district : Hato Damas.-Sectors:*5 de abril*Canastica*El Pomier...
, Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
. He batted and threw right-handed. Roberts was signed by 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...
as an amateur free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
in 1992. He remained with the Tigers organization from 1992 to 1999. He made it to the major leagues in 1999 and played for 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...
, Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
, Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
and 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...
until 2004.
Major League Baseball career
Roberts made his major league debut on July 2, 1999 with the Detroit Tigers against the Minnesota TwinsMinnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, commonly called the Metrodome, is a domed sports stadium in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Opened in 1982, it replaced Metropolitan Stadium, which was on the current site of the Mall of America in Bloomington and Memorial Stadium on the University...
with 12,033 people attending the game. Roberts relieved Will Brunson
Will Brunson
William Donald Brunson was a Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Detroit Tigers. He pitched in 27 games during the 1998 & 1999 seasons.-Sources:...
in the sixth inning, pitching one and one-third innings. The Tigers lost the game 11-4.
Roberts was released by the Tigers on February 1, 2000 and immediately joined the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
as a free agent. Roberts was granted free agency on October 18 and signed with the Orioles on November 16. In the baseball season, Roberts was most successful in limiting 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...
s, only allowing five 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...
s in 75 innings. His home run rate was roughly one home run allowed for every eighteen innings pitched, or 0.6 home runs per nine innings. Roberts played three seasons for the Orioles before being granted free agency on October 17, 2003. On January 20, 2004, Roberts signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates as a free agent. He played his final baseball game with the Pittsburgh Pirates on August 13, 2004, retiring just seven days later. The New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
brought Roberts in on a minor league deal prior to the baseball season, but he did not play for them.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Almanac
- Information and statistics
- Willis Roberts Pitching Log
- Sports illustrated statistics
- MLB players statistics
- Baseball Library statistics
- Baseball prospectsus statistics
- Fangraphs statistics
- Baseball chronology statistics