Brooks Robinson made the third base corner a career when took up the position and called it home for 22 years in his career in Major League Baseball with the Baltimore Orioles.
But was briefly in Vancouver with the Mounties for a short stint in the Pacific Coast League in 1958 looking at it as the lowest point.
Since coming to the majors reporting to the minors in his career at that point. Manager Paul Richards informed him that he was being shipped to the minors in Vancouver home of the Mounties of the (PCL) Pacific Coast League.
To work on his game with a promise that would be recalled to the Orioles after the short stint in Vancouver by the MLB all-star break.
While in Vancouver few baseball people are aware of the gruesome injury Robinson sustained and almost ended his career.
Before he became a hall of fame third baseman for up and coming infielder, he established himself as a major league player.
Robinson had stints of being up and down for Orioles and the minors several times before establishing himself at home on the hot corner at third base and was unsure if he ever was going to return to the major leagues.
He almost had his career end with the Vancouver Mounties in a freak incident while chasing a high foul line located around and near Vancouver’s dugout.
As he moved close to the ball, he was seen reaching while trying to catch it and somehow managed to lose his balance managing to trip and fall towards the dugout sliding back.
Somehow his uniform sleeve got caught on a hook which was located on the guardrail and tore or dug into the muscle located under the bicep.
For a short period of time he was suspended and was unable to feel the blood that was running “down the arm sleeve of his uniform” as he recalled the incident in his 1971 autobiography putting it all together.
In the end it was the trainer for the Mounties that managed to pry him loose and bandaged up his (Robinson’s) arm that saw them rush him to the hospital, quite possibly in a move that may have saved his life.
The doctor mentioned to him and team personnel that “his tendon had been severed however the nerve was still in tact, which was the most dangerous situation he was facing.”
We hear that if the nerve had been cut removed the likelihood of his playing days would have come to an abrupt end.
He (Robinson) began to rehabilitate the serious injury, but spent time on the injured reserve list (IR) on the Mounties.
He soon began to start exercise and after a brief two week recovery, he was placed back in the line-up managing to have a stellar hitting romp.
After a good stretch of hitting at any time in my life as he recalled in his book third base is my home.
At the All-Star break with the Mounties of the PCL, he was hitting .331 banging out 6 home runs and 30 runs batted IRBI’s) in only 42 games.
Vancouver. Orioles Manager Paul Richards was true to his word and had Robinson return to the Baltimore line-up, where he (Brooks) described his time in Vancouver “As one of the bright spots of his baseball career” which he mentioned in his book “Third Base Is My Home.”
For the baseball fanatic’s it could be said that the rest is history and from 1955 to 1977 third base was home for Brooks who managed to receive 18 All-Star honours, which included winning 16 Gold Gloves awards, while finishing with an impressive record hitting 268 Home Runs in that span.
This Arkansas native is a two time World Series Champion, (1966-1970) and was elected and inducted to the National Baseball Hall of fame in 1983.
He went on to the of the greatest careers ever mentioned while playing third base and is indeed a proud member of the Hall of fame at Cooperstown.
His stats speak columns for his career in a career that all began at the young age of 18.