Bob Hall (hallbo02)

Robert Lewis Hall

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 195 lb.

• Debut April 23, 1949
• Final Game September 26, 1953
• Born December 22, 1923 in Swissvale, PA USA
• Died March 12, 1983 in St. Petersburg, FL USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Bob Hall signed as an amateur free agent with the Detroit Tigers before the 1942 season. The 6' 2" right-hander was assigned to the Winston-Salem Twins of the class B Piedmont League. The 18-year-old pitcher went 0-3 with a 5.44 ERA his first year out. Hall then spent the next three years (1943-1945) serving in the United States Coast Guard during World War II. He reported to the Williamsport Grays of the class A Eastern League in 1946, went 1-4 in six appearances, and spent the rest of 1946 with the Seattle Rainiers and the Buffalo Bisons with no decisions.

Things got better for Bob in 1947 after being sent from the Tigers to Seattle. He improved to 15-7 for the Vancouver Capilanos of the class B Western International League and 1-1 for Seattle of the Pacific Coast League. Bob was back with the Seattle club in 1948, winning 7 and losing 11 with a 3.96 ERA, and this prompted the Boston Braves to acquire Hall from Seattle for Al Lyons, Tommy Neill and Heinz Becker in late October. His previous year's performance was be good enough to get the 25-year-old a shot with the major league Braves in 1949.

Hall went 6-4 in 1949 with a 4.36 ERA, used mostly as a spot starter and in relief. 1950 was a rough year as Bob went 0-2 with a 6.97 ERA in 21 outings before being sent back to the minors in 1951, when he was back with Seattle (7-8), as well as the Milwaukee Brewers (2-4) for a 9-12 season with a 3.90 ERA. Hall was with the Sacramento Solons and the Seattle club again in the 1952 season, going 14-11 with a 3.28 ERA, and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates on December 1th in the 1952 Rule V Draft. Bob spent 1953 with the Pirates, winning only 3 times and losing 12, with a 5.39 ERA in 37 appearances. This would be it for the right-hander in the big leagues and he signed off with a career record of 9 wins and 18 losses and a 5.40 ERA.

Hall spent three more years in baseball (1954-1956), all in the AAA PCL with several different clubs, winning 23 and losing 39 to run his minor league career totals to 70 wins and 88 losses with a 4.23 ERA. He had spent 12 active seasons in pro baseball (1942-1956) and at age 32 he decided to leave the game.

Three decades later, in the early 1980s, he was still an active participant in old-timers' games in Florida. Bob worked extremely hard at keeping fit and healthy. He was a unique sight among his fellow players at the old-timer events with his 30-inch waist as he neared age 60. Friends dubbed him "body beautiful" and kidded he would probably live forever.

But Hall died tragically on March 12, 1983, at age 59 in St. Petersburg, FL, when an intoxicated driver crashed through a barrier and struck him while he was on his job as a traffic director for a construction company.

Sources

Baseball Players of the 1950s
Major League Stats & History Baseball-Reference.com:page
Minor League Stats & History Baseball-Reference.com: page