View source for Bob Walk

{{short description|American baseball player (born 1956)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{BLP sources|date=February 2017}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Bob Walk
|image=Bob Walk.jpg
|caption= Walk with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1980
|position=[[Pitcher]]
|bats=Right
|throws=Right
|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1956|11|26}}
|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 (pitching)|Win–loss record]]
|stat1value=105–81
|stat2label=[[Earned run average]]
|stat2value=4.03
|stat3label=[[Strikeout]]s
|stat3value=848
|teams=
* [[Philadelphia Phillies]] ({{mlby|1980}})
* [[Atlanta Braves]] ({{mlby|1981}}–{{mlby|1983}})
* [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] ({{mlby|1984}}–{{mlby|1993}})
|highlights=
*[[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] ([[1988 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1988]])
* [[World Series champion]] ({{wsy|1980}})
}}
'''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]] ({{by|1980}}), [[Atlanta Braves]] ({{by|1981}}–{{by|1983}}), and [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] ({{by|1984}}–{{by|1993}}).

==Philadelphia Phillies==
During his rookie season in Philadelphia, Walk won his first six decisions, finished with an 11&ndash;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 [[1980 Philadelphia Phillies season|Phillies]] to the [[1981 Atlanta Braves season|Braves]] for [[Gary Matthews]] on March 25, 1981.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1981/03/26/sports/phillies-trade-for-matthews.html "Phillies Trade for Matthews," ''The Associated Press'' (AP), Wednesday, March 25, 1981.] Retrieved January 9, 2023.</ref> He bounced between the main club and [[Triple-A (baseball)|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 {{by|1985}}, earning a trip back to the majors. He was named to the All-Star team in {{by|1988}} 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 {{by|1990}}–{{by|1992}}. 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 National League Championship Series|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 (baseball)|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. He is also a fill-in game analyst for ''[[Major League Baseball on Fox|MLB on FOX]]'' as well as a game analyst for Peacock’s ''[[MLB Sunday Leadoff]]'' during Pirates games.

==Personal==
Walk is the father of three children, Tommy, Johnny, and Ronnie.<ref>{{cite news|title=1992 Topps baseball card # 486}}</ref>

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 (crime)|battery]] but ultimately released after promising to the judge that he would not go to Dodger Stadium again.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Meyer |first1=Paul |title=Memory loss |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/116795834/memory-loss/ |access-date=19 January 2023 |work=[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]] |date=9 August 1998 |pages=46}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{baseballstats|mlb=123810|espn=755|br=w/walkbo01|fangraphs=1013507|brm=walk--001rob|retro=W/Pwalkb001}}
*[https://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=walkbo01 Bob Walk] at Baseball Almanac

{{1980 Philadelphia Phillies}}
{{Pittsburgh Pirates Opening Day starting pitchers}}
{{Pittsburgh Pirates}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walk, Bob}}
[[Category:1956 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Atlanta Braves players]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Carolina Mudcats players]]
[[Category:College of the Canyons Cougars baseball players]]
[[Category:Hawaii Islanders players]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball broadcasters]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball pitchers]]
[[Category:National League All-Stars]]
[[Category:Oklahoma City 89ers players]]
[[Category:Peninsula Pilots players]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Greater Los Angeles]]
[[Category:People from Van Nuys, Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Philadelphia Phillies players]]
[[Category:Pittsburgh Pirates announcers]]
[[Category:Pittsburgh Pirates players]]
[[Category:Reading Phillies players]]
[[Category:Richmond Braves players]]
[[Category:Spartanburg Phillies players]]