Pitcher, Los
Angeles Angels
Age: 25
1st season
with Angels
Bats – Left,
Throws – Left
Height: 6’2” Weight: 191
Prior to 1962:
Born in New York City, Robert Belinsky moved with his family to Trenton, New Jersey at a young age and acquired the nickname “Bo”. A pool hustler with a bad temper that led to frequent fights and prone to getting into trouble, he didn’t play sports at Trenton Central High School but played sandlot and semipro baseball. Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1956, he was assigned to Brunswick of the Class D Georgia-Florida League with disastrous results. With a 7.36 ERA over 33 innings, he quit the team and was sold to the Baltimore Orioles. Moving on to Pensacola of the Alabama-Florida League in 1957, Belinsky flashed his potential and outstanding fastball, with a 13-6 tally, 3.00 ERA, and 202 strikeouts over 195 innings. He also solidified a reputation for being a carouser who proved frustrating to managers. Spending most of the 1958 season in South Dakota with the Aberdeen Pheasants of the Class C Northern League, he posted a 10-14 tally and 2.24 ERA with 15 complete games, 4 shutouts, and 184 strikeouts over 181 innings. Belinsky spent 1959 with four minor league teams and went a combined 8-7 and relieved more often than he started. Threatening to quit, he was then assigned to Vancouver of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League in 1960. In a season interrupted by Army Reserve duty, he injured his hand in a bar fight and only appeared in 10 games, totaling 32 innings, and went 1-3 with a 4.50 ERA. Sent down to Little Rock of the Class AA Southern Association in 1961, Belinsky appeared in 31 games, 23 of them starts, and produced a 9-10 record and 3.72 ERA with 182 strikeouts over 174 innings. Along the way he struck out 18 batters over 11 innings in a game, after which he quit the club to return home to Trenton and study electronics. He thought better of his decision and returned to Little Rock to complete the season. In the offseason he was taken by the Angels in the Rule 5 draft and was sent to play winter ball in Venezuela. With Pampero he had an outstanding performance in which he generated a 13-5 record, 2.13 ERA, and 156 strikeouts over 156 innings. Although he balked at signing a league-minumum $6000 contract, he joined the Angels for the 1962 season. His fastball, screwball, and curve helped to allay concerns about his past conduct.
1962 Season Summary
Appeared in 34
games
P – 33, PH – 1
[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]
Pitching
Games – 33
Games Started –
31 [17, tied with Don Lee]
Complete Games
– 5
Wins – 10
Losses – 11
[20, tied with four others]
PCT - .476
Saves – 1
Shutouts – 3 [6,
tied with four others]
Innings Pitched
– 187.1
Hits – 149
Runs – 86
Earned Runs – 74
Home Runs – 12
Bases on Balls
– 122 [1]
Strikeouts – 145
[12]
ERA – 3.56 [13]
Hit Batters – 13
[2, tied with Jim Bunning]
Balks – 0
Wild Pitches – 9
[7, tied with Chuck Estrada & Ed Rakow]
League-leading
bases on balls issued were +1 ahead of runners-up Chuck Estrada & Don Schwall
Midseason
Snapshot: 7-4, ERA - 3.14, SO - 89 in 100.1 IP
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Most
strikeouts, game – 11 (in 7.1 IP) vs. Chi. White Sox 5/11
10+ strikeout
games – 2
Fewest hits
allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 0 (in 9 IP) vs. Baltimore 5/5 (No-hitter with 4 BB,
2 HB, 1 WP & 9 strikeouts. Angels won 2-0)
Batting
PA – 69, AB – 60,
R – 1, H – 10, 2B – 0, 3B – 0, HR – 0, RBI – 2, BB – 7, SO – 24, SB – 0, CS –
0, AVG - .167, GDP – 0, HBP – 0, SH – 2, SF – 0
Fielding
Chances – 40
Put Outs – 6
Assists – 30
Errors – 4
DP – 2
Pct. - .900
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In their second season, the Angels went 86-76 to finish third in the AL, 10 games behind the pennant-winning New York Yankees. The pitching staff led the league in shutouts (15), saves (47), fewest complete games (23), and fewest home runs allowed (118). Shifting to Dodger Stadium where they improved their home attendance to 1,144,063, the Angels started well and were alone in first place on July 4, a stay that didn’t last long although they drew much attention. Under the guidance of manager Bill Rigney and pitching coach Marv Grissom, who managed the bullpen effectively, the club remained in the first division for the remainder of the season, despite sagging in September. Belinsky contributed to the team’s success with a 5-0 start that included a no-hitter. Although his penchant for wildness that had opposing batters often hitting the dirt and his distracting off-field behavior and newfound celebrity status led to questions regarding his work ethic as his performance began to drop off. Nearly traded to the Kansas City Athletics at one point, he finished the season with the Angels.
Aftermath of 1962:
More celebrated for his lifestyle, involving a flashy car and dating actresses such as Ann-Margaret, Tina Louise, and Connie Stevens, than his pitching, the handsome Belinsky also made several acting appearances. Prone to moodiness he could also be polite and engaging. Just prior to the 1963 season, it was announced that he was engaged to actress Mamie Van Doren, which proved to be of short duration. The distractions seemed to catch up to him once the season was underway and he pitched poorly. At 1-7 with a 6.39 ERA in late May, Belinsky was sent to the Hawaii Islanders of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League, where, following a delay in his reporting to the team, he pitched well in nine appearances (4-1, 2.50 ERA, 47 strikeouts over 54 innings).and proved to be a major drawing card. Returning to the Angels in September, he ended up with a major league record of 2-9 with a 5.75 ERA and 60 strikeouts over 76.2 innings. Reporting to the Angels in 1964, he appeared to be more serious and purposeful and following an uneven start he went on a 10-game run from late May to July in which he posted a 6-2 tally with a 1.82 ERA and culminated in a 2-hit shutout of the White Sox. After expressing a desire to quit the Angels, a fight with a 64-year-old reporter at a hotel in Washington during a road trip to play the Senators led to his suspension. Told he was being sent down to Hawaii again, he refused to report and finished the season with a 9-8 record and 2.86 ERA with 4 complete games and 91 strikeouts over 135.1 innings. In the offseason, Belinsky was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for two prospects. Often criticized for a lack of commitment and unwillingness to work out, he drew the following comment from Phillies manager Gene Mauch: “He could pitch. He just wouldn’t work out. I wish I had a thousand guys with his arm and none with his head.” Dealing with injuries and following seven poor starts in 1965, Belinsky was demoted to the bullpen. He finished the season with a 4-9 tally and 4.84 ERA with 71 strikeouts over 109.2 innings. By 1966 he was using amphetamines to enhance his performance, which led to drug addiction. Benched by the Phillies, he found himself back in the Pacific Coast League by midseason, this time with San Diego where he made 13 appearances (10 of them starts) and compiled a 2-4 mark and 4.83 ERA with 54 strikeouts over 54 innings. Drafted away from the Phillies by the Houston Astros in 1967, Belinsky started in 18 of 27 appearances and, outstanding on occasion, but usually not, he went 3-9 with a 4.68 ERA and 80 strikeouts over 115.1 innings. More committed to a relationship with Jo Collins, the 1965 Playboy Playmate of the Year, who he married the following year, than to baseball, the Astros sold his contract to the Hawaii Islanders, who were now affiliated with the White Sox. Belinsky went on to have a surprisingly good season, producing a 9-14 tally and 2.97 ERA with 181 strikeouts over 176 innings. Along the way he pitched the first no-hitter in the club’s history. He played winter ball in Venezuela where he was effective. Back with Hawaii again in 1969 he had a 12-5 record and 2.82 ERA with 111 strikeouts over 147 innings when he was purchased by the Pittsburgh Pirates at the end of July. He appeared in eight games, three of them starts, and was 0-3 with a 4.58 ERA. Dealt to the Cincinnati Reds in the offseason, he made his last three major league pitching appearances in 1970 and had no decisions. He returned to the minors where his career came to an end. For his major league career, Belinsky had a 28-51 record and 4.10 ERA with 14 complete games, 4 shutouts, and 476 strikeouts over 665.1 innings pitched. With the Angels he went 21-28 with a 3.74 ERA, 11 complete games, 4 shutouts, and 296 strikeouts over 399.1 innings. Following baseball, Belinsky struggled while dealing with alcohol and drug abuse, the demise of his marriage to Jo Collins which was followed by two more failed marriages. Through a religious conversion he sought to achieve sobriety with uneven results. In failing health, he died in 2001 at age 64. Talented, tormented, and erratic, Belinsky once summed up his baseball career (and life) by saying “There isn’t one regret, not one. I’ve been there. I’ve done everything…I’ve lived enough for two lives.”
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Highlighted Years feature players who led a major league
in one of the following categories: batting average, home runs (with a minimum
of 10), runs batted in, or stolen bases (with a minimum of 20); or pitchers who
led a major league in wins, strikeouts, earned run average, or saves (with a
minimum of 10). Also included are participants in annual All-Star Games between
the National and American Leagues since 1933. This category also includes Misc.
players who received award votes, were contributors to teams that reached the
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