In the 1960s, the White Sox had several exciting young players who peaked early,
then faded inexplicably. Robinson, a chunky ex-Marine, was the prime example. After
hitting .310 as a rookie in '61, he raised that to .312 the next year, with 109 RBI
and a league-leading 45 doubles. On July 22, he went 6-for-6 against Boston. That
winter, Chicago sportswriters named him the city's top athlete. He slumped in 1963
and was a salary holdout in '64. Although he hit .301 that year, his power stats
fell off badly. When Eddie Stanky took over as manager, Robinson was put in his doghouse
as a complainer. He was traded to Cincinnati in 1967, and was out of the majors within
two years.
(RL)
FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY
»August 28, 1960: In a battle of New York's chief rivals for the American League pennant, Baltimore's Milt Pappas has Chicago down 3–0 in the 8th. An apparent 3-run home run by Ted Kluszewski is nullified because umpire Ed Hurley calls time just before Pappas delivers. Hurley spotted Floyd Robinson and Earl Torgeson warming up along the RF sideline. The Sox argue for 15 minutes, with Nellie Fox and Al Lopez being tossed, before Klu hits again and lines out. The O's prevail 3–1 and take over 2nd place, two games behind the Yankees, and the Sox are three 1/2 back.
»September 22, 1961: Jim Gentile's 5th grand slam of 1961 ties the ML single-season record in Baltimore's 8–6 win over Chicago: Each of his slams comes with Chuck Estrada pitching for the Orioles. Gentile will hit 46 homers this season with a total of 46 runners on base, the most in a season since Babe Ruth hit homers with 48 runners on bases in 1921. Chicago's Floyd Robinson makes the game close with a 9th inning grand slam of his own, the 7th Sox slam of the year.
»July 22, 1962: Floyd Robinson of the White Sox goes 6-for-6, all singles, as Chicago defeats Boston 7–3 at Fenway Park. Robinson raises his average 12 points, to .319 and ties for 1st in RBIs with 71.
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