Retired Baltimore Orioles star Frank Robinson died Thursday morning at his home in California surrounded by family and friends, Major League Baseball officials confirmed. He was 83.
Robinson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982 after playing for the Cleveland Indians, Baltimore Orioles and Cincinnati Reds.
He also managed teams in Cleveland, San Francisco, Baltimore, Montreal and Washington, according to WBAL.
“Frank Robinson’s résumé in our game is without parallel,” Major League Baseball Commissioner Robert D. Manfred Jr. said in a statement on Thursday, Feb. 7. “He was one of the greatest players in the history of our game, but that was just the beginning of a multifaceted baseball career. Known for his fierce competitive will, Frank made history as the first MVP of both the National and American Leagues, earned the 1966 AL Triple Crown and World Series MVP honors, and was a centerpiece of two World Championship Baltimore Orioles’ teams. “
Robninson earned the Triple Crown in 1966 as an Oriole and went on to become the first African-American to manage a major league team, according to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
“With the Cleveland Indians in 1975, Frank turned Jackie Robinson’s hopes into a reality when he became the first African-American manager in baseball history. He represented four franchises as a manager, most recently when baseball returned to Washington, DC with the Nationals in 2005,” Manfred said.
“Since 2000, Frank held a variety of positions with the Commissioner’s Office, overseeing on-field discipline and other areas of baseball operations before transitioning to a senior role in baseball development and youth-focused initiatives,” Manfred said. “Most recently, he served as a Special Advisor to me as well as Honorary American League President. In 2005, Frank was a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award, for ‘setting a lasting example of character in athletics.'”
Said Manfred: “We are deeply saddened by this loss of our friend, colleague and legend, who worked in our game for more than 60 years. On behalf of Major League Baseball, I send my deepest condolences to Frank’s wife Barbara, daughter Nichelle, their entire family and the countless fans who admired this great figure of our National Pastime.”
Robinson hit the first home run out of Memorial Stadium in 1966, according to WBAL, which said a flag was installed with the word “HERE” to mark the spot.
In lieu of flowers, people may make memorial donations to the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee, or the National Museum of African American History & Culture in Washington, DC.
Statement from the Angelos family on the passing of Hall of Famer and Orioles Legend Frank Robinson. pic.twitter.com/pNMx7cDJ8O
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) February 7, 2019
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Pictured, former Cleveland Indians manager and player Frank Robinson stands with a new statue celebrating his career before a game between the Cleveland Indians and Kansas City Royals at Progressive Field on May 27, 2017, in Cleveland, Ohio. Frank Robinson became the first African-American manager in Major League history on April 8, 1975, as a player-manager for the Indians.(Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
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