Bob Purkey

Robert Thomas Purkey (July 14, 1929 – March 16, 2008) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball known for his use of the knuckleball. From 1954 through 1966, Purkey played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds / Redlegs, and St. Louis Cardinals. In 1974 he was elected to the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame.

Bob Purkey
Purkey in 1958
Pitcher
Born: (1929-07-14)July 14, 1929
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Died: March 16, 2008(2008-03-16) (aged 78)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 14, 1954, for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Last MLB appearance
July 26, 1966, for the Pittsburgh Pirates
MLB statistics
Win–loss record129–115
Earned run average3.79
Strikeouts793
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Pittsburgh Pirates

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Purkey signed with his hometown Pirates before the 1948 season.[1] He reached the major leagues in 1954, but after 4 seasons in which he was used largely in relief, posting a combined record of 16-29, he was traded in December 1957 to the Cincinnati Reds for left-hander Don Gross.

Cincinnati Reds

Installed in the Red's starting rotation, Purkey enjoyed a great deal of success over the next seven seasons, peaking with a 23-5 season in 1962, finishing 8th in voting for the National League's Most Valuable Player Award. He had won 16 games with the Red's 1961 pennant winners, and was named to the NL All-Star team in 1958, 1961, and 1962, starting the second 1961 game. He started Game 3 of the 1961 World Series against the New York Yankees, and pitched a complete game but took the 3-2 loss after allowing solo home runs to Johnny Blanchard and Roger Maris in the 8th and 9th innings. He was one of eight pitchers used by the Reds in a 13-5 loss in Game 5, pitching the 5th and 6th innings and allowing two unearned runs, as the Yankees took the Series four games to one.

After his standout 1962 campaign, Purkey's record slipped to just 6-10 in 1963, and after finishing 11-9 in 1964 he was traded that December to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for Roger Craig and outfielder Charlie James.

St. Louis and Pittsburgh

Purkey alternated between starting and relieving in 1965, finishing the year with a 10-9 mark, and the Cardinals sold his contract to the Pirates a few days before the 1966 season began. He ended his career that season with 10 relief appearances for Pittsburgh before being released in August.

MLB career

Over a 13-season career, Purkey posted a 129-115 record with 793 strikeouts and an ERA of 3.79 in 386 appearances, including 276 starts, 92 complete games, 13 shutouts, 9 saves, and 2114​2⁄3 innings of work.

After baseball

Following his baseball career, Purkey worked as a sportscaster for KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh, then opened a successful insurance business.

Purkey died at the age of 78 in his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania following a battle with Alzheimer's disease.

Best season
  • 1962: 23-5 and led NL pitchers with an .821 winning percentage. His ERA of 2.81 ranked him third behind Sandy Koufax (2.54) and Bob Shaw (2.80). He also was selected Player of the Month for May (5-1, 2.81 ERA, 34 SO).

See also

References
  1. "Bob Purkey". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
Preceded by
Jim O'Toole		 NL Player of the Month
May 1962		 Succeeded by
Sandy Koufax
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