"Teddy Roosevelt once said, 'Walk softly and carry a big stick.' Bob Watson's motto may have been somewhat similar, adding the line '... and aim the Yankees toward the World Series.' As you may or may not already know, Bob has never had the opportunity to participate in postseason play during his eleven-year major league career.
In splitting the 1979 season between the Houston Astros and the Boston Red Sox, Bob did some walking and some sticking. While starting the season with Houston, he batted a mere .239 and was used sparingly. He then walked softly toward Boston, where he was traded on June 15, and he found his big stick. Bob batted .337 with 13 home runs and 53 RBIs in 84 games.
In November of 1979, the Yankees once again signed a former Bostonian as they inked Bob to a free agent contract. (You'll remember they signed Luis Tiant the year prior!) The man who scored the 1,000,000th run in baseball history was now a Yankee. The 6'2", 212-pound gentle giant is sure to fit in with the rest of the Yankees.
Welcome to the Big Apple, Bob!"
-The New York Yankees Official 1980 Yearbook
"Bob split the 1979 season between the Astros and the Red Sox. He started the season with the Astros, whom he had played for since first coming up in 1966. He batted .239 in 49 games for Houston before being traded to the Red Sox on June 13 in exchange for pitchers Bobby Sprowl and Pete Ladd, and cash. Bob played in 84 games with the Sox, batting .337 with 13 home runs and 53 RBIs.
On the full year, Bob hit .303 with 16 homers and 71 RBIs. He hit his first A.L. home run on June 20 against Detroit. He had nine, eight, seven and six-game hitting streaks with the Red Sox, and went 15-for-34 (.441) over his nine-game streak (July 19-27), raising his average from .340 to .369, his high point of the year. Bob had a four-hit game against the Royals on July 5 and had a four-RBI game against the White Sox on August 16.
Bob had his best month batting .370 in August with four homers and 22 RBIs. He had 11 game-winning RBIs for the Sox, two for the Astros. He batted .369 as a designated hitter (26 games, 35-for-95), and made just seven errors in 579 chances at first base (58 games), a .988 fielding percentage.
Before joining the Red Sox, Bob had spent his entire career in the Houston organization. He started at Salisbury in 1965, came up to the majors in 1966 to appear in one game, and had his first full season with the Astros in 1970. Bob is the leading Astro in career average and runs batted in, is second in games played, third in at-bats, runs, doubles, total bases, extra-base hits and slugging percentage, and fourth in home runs.
Bob had a career high 110 RBIs in 1977 and had his best average year in 1975, batting .324; the 110 RBIs were an Astro club record. He had a 19-game hitting streak in 1973 and was a member of the National League All-Star teams in 1973 and 1975. He scored the 1,000,000th run in baseball history. Bob set an Astro club record in June 1978 by driving in a run in nine consecutive games.
He started his career as a catcher. He has not caught, though, just playing first or the outfield since 1974. Bob has had only one stint on the disabled list in his professional career, and that was in 1968 when he suffered a broken ankle. He has appeared in at least 130 games every year since 1972.
Bob played Little League, Babe Ruth and American Legion ball in the Los Angeles area. He attended Fremont High School in Los Angeles, where he played baseball and football and was All-City. Bob then attended L.A. Harbor J.C., where he was an All-American in baseball. He was a sergeant in the Marines. Bob enjoys working with kids, and likes jazz music and fishing.
He was the Astros' MVP in 1975 by a vote of the Houston BBWAA. Bob lists the Expos' Steve Rogers as his toughest opponent.
Bob bought a home in Teaneck, New Jersey over the winter and plans to stay in the New York area."
-New York Yankees 1980 Media Guide
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