Bob Turley

Robert Lee Turley
(Bullet Bob)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 215 lb.
• High School Central High School (East St. Louis)
• Debut September 29, 1951
• Final Game September 21, 1963
• Born September 19, 1930 in Troy, IL USA
• Died March 30, 2013 in Atlanta, GA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

"I sat down with this eight-year-old perched on my knee and his mother took the picture. Now it's about 40 years later and here's Billy Crystal telling me, `Bob, that's my favorite picture. It's on my desk today.'" - Bob Turley, about being a Yankee hero to a child

Pitcher Bob Turley played 12 seasons in the major leagues and appeared in five World Series, winning four games in Series play. A big guy whose calling card was a blazing fastball, Turley won the 1958 Cy Young Award with the New York Yankees, and he had good records in a number of other seasons, going 17-13 in 1955, 8-4 in 1956, 13-6 in 1957 and 9-3 in 1960. "Bullet Bob" was often among the leaders in strikeouts per nine innings.

Turley also was good at figuring out what the opposing pitcher was going to throw. He would tip off his teammates at bat by whistles. Mickey Mantle and Gil McDougald were especially interested in getting the secret messages.

He struck out 22 in a 16-inning Texas League game in 1951. It is the Texas League record; the nine-inning record is held by Dave Righetti. He missed the next year due to military service. He began his major league career with the St. Louis Browns in 1951 and moved with the team to Baltimore, MD in 1954, when they became the Baltimore Orioles. He won the team's home opener that year, defeating the Chicago White Sox, 3-1, at Memorial Stadium. After the season, he was traded to the New York Yankees in what is the largest trade in major league history, involving 17 players.

Turley was the first pitcher from the American League to win the Cy Young Award, with the Yankees in 1958. He was also the World Series Most Valuable Player that year.

Turley was a Boston Red Sox coach in 1964.

Turley settled down in Lutherville, MD, near Baltimore, during his only season with the Orioles, and never moved even though his stay with the Orioles was short-lived. After baseball he sold mutual funds and insurance, partnering with former major league catcher Gus Triandos, operating a bowling alley and was a co-founder of Primerica. A distant relative, Nik Turley, also pitched professionally. He died of liver cancer at age 82 in 2013.

One source: Baseball Digest, August 2002.

Notable Achievements

• 1951 Pitcher of the Year Texas League San Antonio Missions
• 3-time AL All-Star (1954, 1955 & 1958)
• ML Cy Young Award Winner (1958)
• 1958 World Series MVP
• AL Wins Leader (1958)
• AL Strikeouts Leader (1954)
• AL Complete Games Leader (1958)
• 15 Wins Seasons: 2 (1955 & 1958)
• 20 Wins Seasons: 1 (1958)
• 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 3 (1954, 1955 & 1958)
• 200 Strikeouts Seasons: 1 (1955)
• Won four World Series with the New York Yankees (1956, 1958, 1961 & 1962) (he did not play in the 1961 and 1962 World Series).

ML Cy Young Award
1957	1958	1959
Warren Spahn	Bob Turley	Early Wynn

Related Sites

• Bob Turley at the SABR Bio Project
• Obituary