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| Bob Turley | |
|---|---|
| Name | Robert Lee Turley |
| Position | Pitcher |
| Bats | Right |
| Throws | Right |
| Birth date | 19 September 1930 |
| Birth place | Newark, New Jersey |
| Death date | 30 November 2013 |
| Death place | Fullerton, California |
Bob Turley
Robert Lee Turley was an American professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1951 to 1963. Turley spent most of his career with the New York Yankees and was a key figure in postseason play during the 1950s, earning the Cy Young Award in 1958. He later played for the Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Angels, Chicago White Sox, and Detroit Tigers before retiring and moving into business and scouting.
Turley was born in Newark, New Jersey and attended East Orange High School where he played for school teams and attracted attention from scouts linked to the Newark Bears (International League), Brooklyn Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals. After high school he enrolled at Oklahoma State University briefly before serving in the United States Army during the early 1950s, a period during which players such as Ted Williams and Willie Mays also missed seasons due to service. During his amateur years he faced competition from collegiate programs like University of Southern California and University of Michigan in college baseball exhibitions, and his development drew comparisons to contemporaries including Whitey Ford and Bob Lemon.
Turley signed with the New York Yankees organization and debuted with the Yankees in 1951, joining a pitching staff that included Allie Reynolds, Ed Lopat, and Vic Raschi from the Yankees' dynasty era. He spent time with minor league affiliates such as the Kansas City Blues and Binghamton Triplets before becoming a full-time major leaguer. In the mid-1950s he contributed to Yankees teams managed by Casey Stengel that won World Series championships against the Brooklyn Dodgers and Los Angeles Dodgers in matchups that featured stars like Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio, and opponents such as Duke Snider and Roy Campanella.
Turley’s breakout came in 1958 after being traded to the Baltimore Orioles, where he posted a league-leading earned run average and won the Cy Young Award that year, beating pitchers such as Wes Santee and Don Larsen in performance comparisons. His season included performances against teams like the Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, and Detroit Tigers, and he pitched in notable contests at ballparks including Yankee Stadium, Memorial Stadium (Baltimore), and Fenway Park. He later joined the Los Angeles Angels expansion roster in 1961, then moved to the Chicago White Sox and finished with the Detroit Tigers in 1963. Turley’s contemporaries included Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson, Juan Marichal, and Robin Roberts during an era that also featured the All-Star Game and the rising prominence of televised sports on networks such as NBC and CBS.
Turley was known for a powerful fastball and an intimidating presence on the mound, often compared to power pitchers like Warren Spahn and Don Newcombe. Scouts from the Baseball Hall of Fame era noted his height, release point, and mechanics in reports alongside evaluations of pitchers such as Howard Ehmke and Tom Seaver. Despite control issues early in his career, Turley developed a solid repertoire that included a fastball, curveball, and changeup, drawing analytical parallels to pitchers discussed in Bill James's statistical studies and historical accounts by sportswriters from the New York Times and The Sporting News. His postseason record with the Yankees during World Series play cemented his standing among 1950s luminaries like Whitey Ford and contributed to Yankees dynasty narratives chronicled in works about Casey Stengel and Mickey Mantle.
Turley married and raised a family in California, aligning his post-playing residence with other former players who moved to the West Coast during the expansion era of Major League Baseball. He maintained connections with former teammates including Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, and Whitey Ford, and participated in alumni events organized by the New York Yankees and former player groups associated with the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association. Turley’s friendships extended into business relationships with figures in the Los Angeles area, and his life intersected with community organizations and charitable events tied to franchises such as the Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Angels.
After retiring from playing, Turley entered the private sector with ventures that included automotive dealerships and performance coaching, engaging with networks that involved former players like Elston Howard and Phil Rizzuto. He also served as a scout and advisor for organizations including the Chicago White Sox and contributed to coaching clinics alongside former managers such as Yogi Berra and Billy Martin. His achievements were recognized by team halls and alumni honors associated with the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles, and he was celebrated in retrospectives by publications like Sports Illustrated and Baseball Digest. Turley passed away in Fullerton, California and is remembered in histories of the 1950s Yankees dynasty, biographies of Mickey Mantle, and compendia about Cy Young Award winners.
Category:1930 births Category:2013 deaths Category:Major League Baseball pitchers Category:New York Yankees players Category:Baltimore Orioles players Category:Los Angeles Angels players Category:Chicago White Sox players Category:Detroit Tigers players