Bob Joyce

Robert Emmett Joyce

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 180 lb.
• Debut May 4, 1939
• Final Game July 14, 1946
• Born January 14, 1915 in Stockton, CA USA
• Died December 10, 1981 in San Francisco, CA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

California native Bob Joyce spent fifteen active seasons in professional baseball from 1934 to 1949. Joyce spent until 1939 in the minors before getting his first chance in the major leagues. He was with the Oakland Oaks of the Pacific Coast League in 1938, appeared in 51 games, pitched 287 innings and went 18-18 with a 3.01 ERA. On September 10, 1938, Joyce was purchased by the Philadelphia Athletics from the Oakland club.

Bob spent the 1939 season with the Athletics, appearing in 30 games, went 3-5 with a 6.69 ERA and wouldn't get another look at the big league hitters for eight years, until the New York Giants picked him up in 1946. He went 3-4 with a 5.34 ERA with the Giants and he pitched his last game in the majors on July 14th that year. This gave him a big league career record of 6-9 and a 6.20 ERA in 44 games.

Joyce was sent down to the Minneapolis Millers of the American Association, where he finished out the 1946 year with a 5-3 record and a 4.98 ERA in 12 games.

In his 13 active seasons in the minor leagues, Joyce had seven double-digit winning seasons. In four straight seasons with the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League, he topped 20 wins, starting in 1942, when he went 22-10. He continued in 1943 (20-12), 1944 (21-20) and in 1945 he blew the league apart with a 31-11 record. Joyce led the PCL in wins with 31, complete games with 35, ERA with 2.17 and was the winner of the league's MVP award.

Bob pitched eight out of his last nine seasons in the Pacific Coast League and ended his minor league career with the Portland Beavers in 1949 at the age of 34. His minor league record shows 172 wins and 155 losses in 427 games while pitching 2,587 innings.

After baseball, and until his retirement, Joyce was a liquor salesman for Foremost-McKesson for 28 years. He died from circulation problems at Children's Hospital in San Francisco, CA, at the age of 66.

Notable Achievements

• 1945 MVP Pacific Coast League San Francisco Seals