Frank Robinson, MLB Hall of Famer and Pioneering Manager, Dead at 83

Frank Robinson, the Hall of Fame Baltimore Orioles legend who was the first African-American manager in MLB history, died Thursday following a long illness. He was 83 years old.

“We mourn the loss of Hall of Famer and Orioles Legend Frank Robinson,” the Orioles wrote in a short statement on Twitter.

Robinson was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1982, with 89.2 percent of the vote. He smashed 586 home runs, made the All-Star Game 14 times and remains the only player to win the Most Valuable Player Award in both leagues. He won the award in 1961 for the Cincinnati Reds in the National League and in 1966 for the Orioles in the American League. In 1966, he won the Triple Crown, leading the AL with a .316 average, 49 homers, 122 RBIs and 122 runs.

Robinson won the 1966 and 1970 World Series with the Orioles, and was named World Series MVP in 1966.

In April 1975, Robinson made history as a player-manager for the Cleveland Indians, becoming the first African-American MLB manager. Robinson remained with the Indians until 1977, then managed the San Francisco Giants and Orioles. He was the manager for the Montreal Expos when the franchise relocated to Washington, D.C. and became the Nationals in 2005.

Robinson is also a member of the Reds, Orioles, Indians and Nationals’ team halls of fame.

One of Robinson’s final public appearances was at Dodger Stadium on April 15, 2017 to honor Jackie Robinson, the first African-American MLB player. His No. 20 was also retired by the Reds, Orioles and Indians.

“I’m here to honor Jackie and his family,” Robinson said as a new Jackie Robinson statue was unveiled, reports MLB.com. “Everything I have, everything Willie [Mays] and Hank [Aaron] have, started with Jackie Robinson doing what he did. He could have lost his life for it. That’s a debt you can’t repay except to say, ‘Thank you’ as often as you can.”

Close friends of Robinson’s told USA Today last month he was in poor health and living in hospice care for several months in Southern California.

“Frank Robinson’s résumé in our game is without parallel, a trailblazer in every sense, whose impact spanned generations,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “He was one of the greatest players in the history of our game, but that was just the beginning of a multifaceted baseball career. Known for his fierce competitive will, Frank made history as the first MVP of both the National and American Leagues, earned the 1966 AL Triple Crown and World Series MVP honors, and was a centerpiece of two World Championship Baltimore Orioles’ teams.”

Photo credit: Louis Reqeuna/MLB Photos via Getty Images