Bob Darnell

Robert Jack Darnell

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 175 lb.

• Debut August 10, 1954
• Final Game April 29, 1956
• Born November 6, 1930 in Wewoka, OK USA
• Died January 3, 1995 in Fredericksburg, TX USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Bob Darnell pitched in seven games for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1954 and 1956, posting an ERA of 2.87. He was three years younger than another pitcher on the team in 1954, Tommy Lasorda.

Darnell also spent many years in the high minors. He was with the St. Paul Saints for four years and part of a fifth. For a pitcher he was a pretty decent hitter in the minors, often hitting around .250.

An article in the June 1957 Baseball Digest mentions that Darnell had been the Dodgers' best pitcher in early spring exhibition games, but that he had been sent to the minors because the Dodgers had a wealth of talent.

He pitched for Cienfuegos in Cuba during the winter of 1953-54, along with a number of other Dodger farmhands.

"Darnell got two trials with the Dodgers - in 1954 and '56 - but had no major league decisions. He appeared in six games in '54 and compiled a 3.14 ERA. He had won promotion from the Dodgers' St. Paul farm club where he was 12-9. A part [Native American], Darnell also played basketball and football and had offers from pro football teams before choosing baseball." -- Baseball History Series, 1979 TCMA Ltd., Bob Darnell, Card #257