Bob Skinnerthe All-Star left fielder and two-time World Series champion as a player, died Monday at the age of 94. The Pirates announced the news this afternoon.
“As a member of the 1960 World Series championship team, Bob was an integral part of one of the most beloved teams in our history and helped create a moment that will live forever in our city,” Pirates owner Bob Nutting said in a press release. “Bob was a talented player, a proud Pirate and a respected member of the baseball community. On behalf of the entire Pirates organization, we extend our condolences to Bob’s family, friends and all who knew and loved him.”
Skinner played 12 parts of the season in the major leagues, most of which were in Pittsburgh. A native of La Jolla, California, Skinner played a season at nearby San Diego Junior College. The Pirates had scouted him out of high school and signed him to a minor league contract in 1951. He was stationed in San Diego and played for their base team but was out of the professional teams for two seasons.
After his service ended, Skinner returned to the Pirates for the 1954 season. He made his MLB debut that year but struggled as a rookie, leading the Bucs to send him back to the minors in ’55. Skinner returned to the Majors one year later and finally established himself during his third MLB season, breaking out by hitting .305 in 1957.
Skinner took another step forward during the ’58 campaign. He hit .321/.387/.491 and drove in 70 runs to earn his first All-Star selection and low-ballot MVP support. That would be his best season statistically, but the left-handed hitter returned to the All-Star Game in 1960. More importantly, the Pirates would go on to defeat the Yankees in a seven-game World Series for the franchise’s first championship in 35 years.
After a mediocre 1961 season, Skinner set a career high with 20 homers while hitting .302 in 1962. The Pirates would trade him to the Reds the following year. Cincinnati dealt Skinner to the Cardinals during the ’64 campaign, a move that paid off handsomely. Although he was a role player to that point, he won his second career World Series when the Cards defeated the Yankees in another seven-game Fall Classic. Skinner went 3-4 as a pinch-hitter in that series (though all of his hits came in a loss to St.
Skinner’s playing career ended after the 1966 season. That wasn’t nearly the end of his time in baseball, however. He made the jump to minor league management and was promoted to MLB captain in 1968. The Phillies hired him to replace Gene Mauch in the middle. Skinner himself was fired less than a year later as Philadelphia got off to a rough start to the ’69 campaign.
He had a brief stint as interim manager with the Padres in 1977 but spent most of the decade as a hitting coach. That included a return to Pittsburgh in 1979, when the Bucs won another World Series. Skinner worked for the Braves and as a minor league manager and scout with the Astros after that, remaining in baseball until 2009.
Skinner finished his career as a .277/.351/.421 hitter. He hit 100 home runs and had nearly 1200 hits while recording 531 runs batted in. MLB Trade Rumors sends its condolences to Skinner’s family – including his son Joel, a former MLB catcher and manager – loved ones, friends, and the many people who have touched his long life in baseball.
