Bob Shaw (baseball)


Robert John Shaw was an American Major League Baseball player from Garden City, New York. A right-handed pitcher, he played on seven teams for eleven seasons, 1957 through 1967. In 1962, he was a National League All-Star player. In 1966, he led the National League with a perfect 1.000 fielding average as pitcher.

Career

Shaw pitched for the Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Athletics, Milwaukee Braves, San Francisco Giants, New York Mets, and Chicago Cubs. In 1959, he won 18 games for the American League pennant-winning White Sox. The White Sox lost the World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games, but not before Shaw defeated Sandy Koufax with a 1–0 shutout in Game 5.
Shaw holds the major league record for the most balks by a pitcher in one game. He balked five times pitching for the Braves on May 4, 1963, against the Cubs.
Shaw followed his active career by working as a pitching coach for the Milwaukee Brewers from September 1, 1972, through June 30, 1973, on the staff of his former teammate with the Braves, Del Crandall.
After retiring from Major League Baseball, Shaw remained active in the game by becoming a coach in the American Legion baseball program where he served for many years. In 1986, Shaw coached Jensen Beach Post 126 to the American Legion World Series title.

Personal life

Shaw was an alumnus of St. Lawrence University. After his professional playing days were over, Shaw managed the Florida State League's Daytona Beach Dodgers and was a pitching coach for the Milwaukee Brewers. Shaw was also in very successful realtor in Northern Palm Beach County. Shaw, 77, died of liver cancer on September 23, 2010, in Tequesta, Florida, where he lived.