Bob Walk
American baseball player (born 1956)
title: "Bob Walk" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1956-births", "living-people", "atlanta-braves-players", "baseball-players-from-los-angeles", "carolina-mudcats-players", "college-of-the-canyons-cougars-baseball-players", "hawaii-islanders-players", "major-league-baseball-broadcasters", "major-league-baseball-pitchers", "national-league-all-stars", "oklahoma-city-89ers-players", "peninsula-pilots-players", "sportspeople-from-greater-los-angeles", "people-from-van-nuys,-los-angeles", "philadelphia-phillies-players", "pittsburgh-pirates-announcers", "pittsburgh-pirates-players", "reading-phillies-players", "richmond-braves-players", "spartanburg-phillies-players"] description: "American baseball player (born 1956)" topic_path: "science/astronomy" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Walk" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary American baseball player (born 1956) ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox baseball biography"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Bob Walk |
| image | Bob Walk.jpg |
| caption | Walk with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1980 |
| position | Pitcher |
| bats | Right |
| throws | Right |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | Van Nuys, California, U.S. |
| debutleague | MLB |
| debutdate | May 26 |
| debutyear | 1980 |
| debutteam | Philadelphia Phillies |
| finalleague | MLB |
| finaldate | September 29 |
| finalyear | 1993 |
| finalteam | Pittsburgh Pirates |
| statleague | MLB |
| stat1label | Win–loss record |
| stat1value | 105–81 |
| stat2label | Earned run average |
| stat2value | 4.03 |
| stat3label | Strikeouts |
| stat3value | 848 |
| :: |
|name=Bob Walk |image=Bob Walk.jpg |caption= Walk with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1980 |position=Pitcher |bats=Right |throws=Right |birth_date= |birth_place=Van Nuys, California, U.S. |debutleague = MLB |debutdate=May 26 |debutyear=1980 |debutteam=Philadelphia Phillies |finalleague = MLB |finaldate=September 29 |finalyear=1993 |finalteam=Pittsburgh Pirates |statleague = MLB |stat1label=Win–loss record |stat1value=105–81 |stat2label=Earned run average |stat2value=4.03 |stat3label=Strikeouts |stat3value=848 |teams=
- Philadelphia Phillies ()
- Atlanta Braves (–)
- Pittsburgh Pirates (–) |highlights=
- All-Star (1988)
- World Series champion () Robert Vernon Walk (born November 26, 1956), nicknamed "The Whirly Bird", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies (), Atlanta Braves (–), and Pittsburgh Pirates (–).
Early life
Born in Van Nuys, California, Walk was raised from birth in Newhall, California. He attended Placerita Canyon junior high, and Hart High School.
When Walk was a teenager, he attended a game at Dodger Stadium and threw a tennis ball from the stands at Houston Astros centerfielder César Cedeño. He was charged with battery but ultimately released after promising to the judge that he would not go to Dodger Stadium again.
Walk attended College of the Canyons, and was drafted in the third round of the 1976 amateur draft.
Philadelphia Phillies
During his rookie season in Philadelphia, Walk won his first six decisions, finished with an 11–7 record and was the winning pitcher in Game One of the 1980 World Series, his Phillies defeating the Kansas City Royals in six games.
Atlanta Braves
Walk was traded from the Phillies to the Braves for Gary Matthews on March 25, 1981. He bounced between the main club and Triple-A, until being released in March 1984.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Walk was signed to a minor league contract by the Pirates and led the Pacific Coast League (PCL) in earned run average (ERA) and wins in , earning a trip back to the majors. He was named to the All-Star team in when he won 12 games and posted a 2.71 ERA.
In his waning years, Walk served as a spot starter and swingman for the Pirates' teams that won three straight NL East titles from –. His most memorable outing being when manager Jim Leyland removed him from the bullpen and named him a surprise starter in Game Five of the 1992 NLCS against Atlanta. Walk tossed a complete game three-hitter to stave off elimination in a series which the Pirates would eventually lose in seven games. He was also the pitcher who was warming up in the bullpen when Francisco Cabrera hit the two-run, game-winning single against Stan Belinda, which won the series for Atlanta. Despite both Walk and Cabrera being right-handers, Leyland opted to keep Belinda (despite having walked Damon Berryhill to load the bases and giving up a deep fly ball to Ron Gant) to pitch to Cabrera.
In 1993, Walk recorded an NL-worst 5.68 ERA and retired after the season.
Post-career
Walk is currently an announcer for the Pittsburgh Pirates on AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh and radio.{{cite news | last = London | first = Adam | access-date = 21 July 2025 | date = 26 March 2025 | title = SportsNet Pittsburgh Announces Broadcast Talent Roster For 2025 Pirates Season. | url = https://sportsnetpittsburgh.com/2025/03/26/sportsnet-pittsburgh-announces-broadcast-talent-roster-for-2025-pirates-season/
Personal
Walk is the father of three children, Tommy, Johnny, and Ronnie.
References
References
- "Bob Walk".
- (9 August 1998). "Memory loss". [[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]].
- Jesse Munoz. "40 Years After World Series Victory, Bob Walk Still Remembered".
- (1981-03-26). "Phillies Trade for Matthews".
- "1992 Topps baseball card # 486".
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