Ron Robinson

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Ron Robinson (born March 24, 1962 in Exeter, California) was a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds (1984-1990) and the Milwaukee Brewers (1990-1992). He was the first-round pick (19th overall) of the Reds in the 1980 amateur draft.

One of Robinson's most memorable starts came on May 2, 1988, when he came within one strike of throwing a perfect game against the Montreal Expos. With a single, Montreal's Wallace Johnson broke up what would have been the first perfect game in Reds history. According to teammate Tom Browning, Robinson was pitching with pain in his elbow so severe that he could not pick up a ball from the ground without squatting down to pick it up.

Ironically, Browning would throw a perfect game four months later.

Robinson posted a career win-loss record of 48-29 with a 3.63 ERA and 19 saves in 232 games, 102 starts and 800 innings pitched.

Cincinnati traded him early during its 1990 World Series championship season. The season ended up being one of the best of his career. Between his stints with the Reds and the Brewers, Robinson went 14-7 with a 3.26 ERA.

[edit] Trivia

Robinson was nicknamed "The True Creature" by then-Reds manager Pete Rose.
Despite being a starting pitcher for most of his career, he spent the entire 1986 season as a reliever for the Reds, going 10-3 with a 3.24 ERA and 14 saves