Bob Watson

From SoSH

Robert Jose "Bull" Watson (born April 10, 1946 in Los Angeles, California) was a two-time All-Star who played 19 years in the major leagues with the Astros, Red Sox, Yankees and Braves. Over 1,832 games, mostly at first base and in the outfield, he hit .295 with 184 home runs, 989 RBI, a .364 OBP, and a 129 adjusted OPS+, which ranks 164th all-time. Watson was known as a consistent and patient line drive hitter with gap power, and batted .300 or better in six of his 11 seasons as an everyday player. Though slow afoot, he displayed a strong outfield arm and was a skilled fielder at first base.

Bob Watson

Born:	Wednesday Apr 10 1946
Birthplace:	Los Angeles CA USA
Hometown:
Height:	6 ' 2
Weight:	205
Bats:	Right
Throws:	Right
Drafted:
College:
High School:	Fremont HS (Los Angeles, CA)
Other Teams:	Houston Astros 1966-1979 New York Yankees 1980-1982 Atlanta Braves 1982-1984
Years with Boston:	1979

Houston Astros

Signed by Houston as an undrafted 19-year-old free agent catcher in 1965, Watson began his pro career later that summer. The following year he hit .302 for high Class A Cocoa in the Florida State League, earning a late-season call-up by the Astros. He debuted September 9, 1966 against the Dodgers when he pinch-hit for pitcher Carroll Sembera and grounded out to third base off Claude Osteen. Watson earned promotions in each of the following three seasons. He made the Astros out of spring training in 1970 as the primary starting first baseman and would remain in the majors for the next 15 years.

In 1971 Watson became the Astros' starting left fielder, shifting to make room for first baseman John Mayberry. He remained in left after Houston acquired first baseman Lee May from the Reds, but moved back to first base in 1975 after May was traded to Baltimore. He gained a reputation for his hard-nosed play on the field. During a game in Montreal on July 8, 1973, he slid hard into second base, breaking the jaw of Expos shortstop Tim Foli, and was pelted with trash by spectators when he returned to left field in the bottom of the inning. That season Watson hit .312 with 16 HR, 94 RBI and a career-high 97 runs scored, earning selection to the National League All-Star team. Two years later in 1975, he had the best offensive year of his career despite missing the last two weeks due to injury. Watson hit a career-best .324 with 18 HR and 85 RBI and earned another berth in the mid-season classic, with 13 of his longballs coming prior to the All-Star break. In 1977, he tallied a franchise-record 110 RBI, a mark that stood until Jeff Bagwell broke it in 1994.

Watson started off slowly in 1979 and was hitting just .239 through mid-June. After 14 seasons in Houston, the Astros traded him to the Red Sox for a pair of minor leaguers. More than 30 years later, Watson remains in the Astros' all-time top ten in nearly every offensive statistical category, including batting average (3rd with .297), OBP (5th with .364), SLG (8th with .444) and adjusted OPS+ (4th with 130). Many analysts acknowledge that Watson's home run total was hurt by playing 700 games in the cavernous Astrodome, where he went yard just 50 times, or once every 47.4 at bats. At all other parks combined, he hit 134 homers, or one every 28.5 at bats.

Boston Red Sox

Bob Watson digs a throw in the dirt during infield drills with the Red Sox in 1979.

Watson made quite the splash in Boston, where he replaced fan favorite George Scott at first base two days after The Boomer was traded to the B. On June 23, just eight days after being traded, Watson led off the 11th-inning with a solo home run off Toronto's Tom Buskey, sending it over Fenway's Green Monster to give the Red Sox a 4-3 walkoff win over the Blue Jays. It was his third homer in four games. On July 5, his 8th-inning RBI single drove in Jim Rice with the winning run as the Sox beat Kansas City, 5-4. On July 22, his 10th-inning single off Mark Clear scored Fred Lynn to give Boston a 6-5 walk-off win over the Angels.

On August 16, Watson drove in four runs with a homer and single and scored twice to help Boston beat the White Sox, 7-5. Eleven days later, he again torched Chicago, knocking in three runs and scoring another in a 4-3 win. Overall, Watson batted .337 for Boston with a .401 OBP, 13 HR, 48 runs, and 53 RBI in just 84 games, good for a 148 OPS+. He reached base safely in 65 games with the Sox, including 30 multiple-hit games. In addition to manning first base for 58 games, Watson saw his first career action as a designated hitter.

A year after leaving Boston as a free agent, Watson gave a New Jersey reporter his thoughts on Boston, which were reprinted in a Peter Gammons column:

"If you're not Irish Catholic, you have trouble in Boston. If you're black, you're at the bottom of the list . . . I didn't want another Boston. It was sterilized there. We were surrounded by Bostonians who weren't black. There was no identity. I'd have to drive across town to get a haircut. In Wellesley, there wasn't even a black garbageman." Watson said that he still considered Boston at the end of the 1979 season; then a black student bused into Wellesley was shot. "That hit home."

New York Yankees

Watson signed a four-year, $1.8 million contract with the Yankees on 11/9/79. He hit .307 in 1980 with 13 HR and 68 RBI. Watson also saw the first postseason actin of his career, going 6-for-12 with a .917 slugging average in a losing cause as the Yankees were swept in the ALCS by Kansas City.

Watson's numbers plummeted in the strike-shortened 1981 season, as he hit just .212 with 6 HR and a mere 12 RBI in 59 games. However the team returned to the playoffs and so did Watson's bat, as he hit .438 in the ALDS against the Brewers. Then in his first-ever World Series at-bat, he clubbed a 3-run homer to deep left-center field off the Dodgers' Jerry Reuss to help lead the Yankees to a 5-3 Game 1 win at Yankee Stadium. In Game 2, his 8th-inning RBI single tied the game 1-1 and helped set up the game-winning sacrifice fly by Willie Randolph. At Dodger Stadium, he led off the second inning of Game 3 with another home run, this time off Fernando Valenzuela. Watson drove in two more runs in Game 4, but was held to just one hit in 8 at-bats in Games 5 and 6. Though he hit .318 over the entire series, he was denied a championship ring as the Dodgers rebounded to win the title, 4 games to 2.

After starting off 1982 hitting .235 through 7 games, Watson was traded to the Braves, where he would finish his playing career in 1984.

Astros Executive

Watson served as a coach for the Oakland Athletics for three seasons before being hired by his former team, the Astros, as assistant general manager under Bill Wood, a post he held through 1993. At the end of that season, the Astros fired Wood and replaced him with Watson, making him the first African American to serve as GM of a major league team.

His tenure at the helm of Houston's front office was marked by the ill-fated acquisition of reliever Mitch Williams; the trade of overweight pitcher Curt Schilling to Philadelphia, where he would blossom into an elite starter; the trade of future all-star Phil Nevin to Detroit; and the lopsided package trade with the Padres that sent Steve Finley and Ken Caminiti to San Diego and brought Derek Bell and Doug Brocail to Houston. However, Watson also traded for pitcher Mike Hampton, who would later win 22 games for the club, and unloaded pitcher Pete Harnisch for prospects just before his career hit the skids.

In March 2005, former Red Sox GM Lou Gorman told the Boston Globe he had a deal in place with Watson in 1993 that would have sent Roger Clemens to the Astros and brought Craig Biggio, Steve Finley, Pete Harnisch and Eddie Taunbensee to Boston. Gorman said the trade died on the vine because Astros owner Drayton McLane refused to part with Biggio.

Yankees GM

After just over two years on the job, and with rumors swirling that the Astros would be sold and moved to Virginia, Watson resigned as GM. On October 5, 1995, he accepted the same position with the Yankees, replacing Gene Michael. Watson proceeded to acquire several role players and key components of a Yankees team that would win four World Series in the next five years. They included Joe Girardi, Tino Martinez, Jeff Nelson, David Cone, Dwight Gooden, Mike Aldrete, Charlie Hayes, Mariano Duncan, Luis Sojo, Cecil Fielder, David Weathers, Graeme Lloyd, Mike Stanton, David Wells and Mike Stanley. Watson and Michael, who became the team's chief major league scout, both pressed George Steinbrenner to hire Joe Torre to replace Buck Showalter as manager.

Kenny Rogers was also signed as a free agent (prior to 1996 season), though Watson and Torre have both maintained that Rogers was inked at the behest of Steinbrenner, while their own preference was to sign Chuck Finley. In one of his final trades as GM, Watson unloaded Rogers to Oakland in exchange for Scott Brosius, who started at third base on three championship teams. Watson resigned from the Yankees on February 2, 1998 and was eventually replaced by Brian Cashman.

Cancer Diagnosis

In April 1994, Watson was diagnosed with prostate cancer at age 48. He underwent surgery July 5, which confirmed the cancer was confined to the prostate, and was declared cancer-free following more than a year of recovery. Following his experience, which stemmed from a routine Spring Training physical, Watson successfully pushed for MLB to adopt mandatory annual PSA screenings for all major league players and team employees regardless of age.

In May 1997, midway through his tenure with the Yankees, Watson released a book, Survive to Win, which chronicled "his bout with cancer, a host of costly injuries, and his difficult climb out of the minor leagues in the racially turbulent 1960s," according to a publisher's description.

US Olympic Baseball

After leaving the Yankees, Watson took on the duties of general manager of the US Olympic Baseball team and co-chairman of the US Olympic Baseball Committee. He was instrumental in selecting Tommy Lasorda as manager, as well as constructing the 20-man roster that ultimately shocked Cuba and won the gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.

In May 2008, Watson made headlines when he announced that Roger Clemens, then embroiled in a scandal over alleged illegal steroid use, would not be welcome on the 2008 US Olympic Baseball team. In August 2008, Watson voiced confidence that baseball will be reinstated as a medal sport in 2009.

MLB Executive

On February 21, 2002, Watson was named to succeed Frank Robinson as MLB's Vice President in charge of discipline and on-field operations. In October 2002, Watson was asked if he had any interest in the Red Sox' vacant GM position:

"The only way I would go back to the everyday thing [as GM] is if I was part of ownership," said Watson. "I'm happy doing what I'm doing. I like being the bad guy."

In October 2004, reports surfaced that Watson would return to a GM role with the Montreal Expos franchise once it had relocated to Washington. However, Watson turned it down and the job ultimately went to Jim Bowden.

Since beginning his league office tenure, matters related to the Red Sox have received a fair amount of Watson's attention:

2003: Red Sox-Yankees ALCS
On 10/12/03, tempers flared after the longtime rivals exchange beanballs in the 4th inning of ALCS Game 3 at Fenway Park. Pedro Martinez hit Karim Garcia in the shoulder with a pitch in the top of the inning. In the bottom half, Manny Ramirez took umbrage at a high fastball from Roger Clemens, barking at him and taking several steps toward the mound with bat in hand. As the benches cleared, Yankees bench coach Don Zimmer headed straight for Martinez, who was in front of Boston's dugout, and attacked him. Pedro sidestepped Zimmer, who lost his balance and toppled over, though replays suggested Martinez had pushed him down. Watson fined Martinez ($50,000), Ramirez ($25,000), Garcia ($10,000) and Zimmer ($5,000), but exonerated Clemens. Zimmer fought back tears while issuing an apology through the media prior to Game 4:

"I'm embarrassed at what happened. I'm embarrassed for the Yankees‚ the Red Sox‚ the fans‚ the umpires and my family."

Watson took no action against Garcia or Yankees reliever Jeff Nelson for what Boston police described as an "unprovoked attack" on a Sox grounds crew member who was stationed in the bullpen. Yankees president Randy Levine demanded an apology from the Red Sox for a lack of security in the outfield seats, prompting derision from Red Sox CEO Larry Lucchino:

"I think that once again, perhaps an incomplete knowledge of the facts, if I can put it diplomatically, might be at the root of Mr. Levine's comments," Lucchino said. "But we'll leave it to Major League Baseball to address the inflammatory comments."

2004: A-Rod vs Tek
On 7/24/04, benches cleared at Fenway after Bronson Arroyo hit Alex Rodriguez in the left arm with an inside pitch. Rodriguez barked at Arroyo while slowly making his way to first base, then veered left off the baseline and toward the mound. When Jason Varitek stepped between them the third baseman redirected his anger toward Boston's catcher. The pair converged, with Rodriguez lunging his arms toward Varitek's head while the Sox' captain shoved his mitt into the face of his adversary. In the ensuiwng melee, Yankees pitcher Tanyon Sturtze pulled Gabe Kapler from the scrum in a choke hold, prompting Trot Nixon and David Ortiz to rush to Kapler's defense and restrain Sturtze. Umpires ejected Varitek, Kapler, Rodriguez, and New York's Kenny Lofton.

Watson doled out penalties to Varitek (4 games/$2,000), Kapler (3 games/$1,000), Nixon (3 games/$1,000), Curt Schilling ($500) and Ortiz ($500). Yankees penalized included Rodriguez (4 games/$2,000), Sturtze (3 games/$1,000) and Lofton ($500).

2007: The Francona Rule
Late in the season, at Watson's direction, MLB mandated that managers could no longer wear a team pullover instead of a uniform jersey top or jacket. The controversy stemmed from an August 29, 2007 incident in which an MLB representative was sent into the Red Sox dugout in the middle of a game at Yankee Stadium to verify that Red Sox manager Terry Francona was wearing the proper attire. Francona had donned the loose-fitting fleece pullovers instead of more constrictive clothing due to circulatory issues. The intrusion came in the bottom of the second inning with the Yankees batting and Derek Jeter on second base. Francona's spoke to reporters after the game:

"Unless that [expletive] RSA can keep Jeter close, he needs to stay out of the dugout," Francona said. "That was about as embarrassed as I've been in a long time for baseball."

Later, Watson himself entered the dugout to address the matter with Francona:

"Get out of the dugout during the game," Francona firmly told Watson, who left.

The loose-fitting pullover worn by Terry Francona is officially licensed MLB apparel, but is considered a "nightshirt" (and illegal attire for managers and coaches) by MLB Vice President Bob Watson.

During the postgame press conference, Francona expanded on his answers:

"I've never seen anything like that before in my life," he said. "Middle of the game you've got the fashion police. This is incredible. He made me show him [the jersey]. I was sort of in a hurry because I thought Jeter was going to steal third. I was trying to do my job.

"I didn't ask to appeal. I think the cursing I did to the guy going up the tunnel was probably appeal enough."

The next day, an MLB public relations staffer attempted to minimize the issue:

"We just wanted to enforce what is stipulated in the uniform regulations that apply to players, managers, and coaches," MLB spokesman Mike Teevan wrote in an e-mail. "The regulations state that the jersey has to be worn at all times during a game. We try to enforce the rule across the board, so the issue has not been limited to Terry, although we have discussed it with him before.

"The timing was an issue, and it's something we will avoid going forward."

While Watson did not comment on the matter, his superior at MLB voiced his understanding of Francona's objections:

"Terry got upset, and he was within his rights to be upset," MLB executive vice president Jimmie Lee Solomon told ESPN.com. "He's in the middle of a game and he has a lot of things on his mind, and the agent should have shown a little better judgment by waiting until there was no action. The timing was unfortunate. And it will not happen again."

Three months passed before Watson issued MLB's edict in choice terms:

"There's going to be, for lack of a better term, a Francona Rule,” Watson said. “You can only wear your uniform top or jacket. You can't wear your nightshirt, or whatever it is. You can wear it before games, or after games, but not during games. You have to have your uniform top at all times."

Other incidents involving Watson and the Red Sox:

• Suspended Trot Nixon (4 games/$2,000) and Frank Castillo (4 games/$1,500) for their roles in a 5/5/02 incident against the Devil Rays. Nixon was accused of intentionally flinging his bat toward pitcher Ryan Rupe, who had hit Nomar Garciaparra and Shea Hillenbrand with pitches earlier in the 1st inning. Castillo was cited for intentionally hitting Randy Winn with a pitch in the top of the 4th. Before issuing his edict, Watson consulted with Devil Rays manager Hal McRae but not Grady Little.

• Suspended Frank Castillo (5 games) for making physical contact with third base umpire Bill Welke, who had called a balk just before Castillo yielded a run-scoring double against the Padres in San Diego on 6/19/02. Castillo then yelled "That's your [expletive] run" at Welke, prompting the umpire to eject him. Castillo charged the umpire and then inadvertently stepped on his foot. The penalty doled out by Watson contrasts starkly with the handling of Alex Rodriguez (then with the Rangers), who was ejected after inadvertently contacting an umpire the previous month but faced no suspension.

• Fined Frank Castillo ($750) for a 7/18/02 incident against the Devil Rays in Tampa Bay. It began when Tampa Bay's Tanyon Sturtze hit Manny Ramirez, who'd homered and doubled the day before, in the back with a first-inning pitch. Castillo retaliated by plunking Brent Abernathy in the shoulder with one out in the third, prompting warnings to both benches. With two outs in the 9th, Esteban Yan uncorked a fastball into Ramirez's shoulder, hitting him just under his chin. Sox players jumped to the top step of the dugout, with several shouting at Yan and his Tampa Bay teammates. Umpire Tim Welke then ejected Yan and Devil Rays manager Hal McRae. Watson also fined Sturtze $750, but imposed no penalty whatsoever on Yan. Upon receiving word that Yan had been spared the rod, Castillo unleashed his venom on Watson:

"This time it's [expletive] ridiculous," Castillo said. "The [expletive] guy who is doing this, he must have it in for me or something because it's a [expletive] joke. That's outrageous. The [expletive] guy is a [expletive] idiot."

• Fined Pedro Martinez ($1,000) for hitting Tampa Bay's Ben Grieve in the back with a pitch on 7/25/02 at Fenway Park. Pedro alleged he was fined for refusing Watson's request to publicly state that the pitch was accidental:

"Bob Watson wanted me to say I didn't do it on purpose," Martinez said. "He wanted me to lie to you guys. He wanted to make me look like a fool, and I'm not. Imagine Bob Watson doing the same thing I did and then saying, 'Oh, no, the ball slipped out of my hands.'"

"I'm the most watched guy by the umpires. It's not the other team. Nobody complains, just the umpires and the league. I don't know who in the league is watching me so closely. They don't like my pants and they don't like my jersey."

• Suspended Derek Lowe (5 games), Jason Varitek (4 games), Rey Sanchez (3 games) and pitching coach Tony Cloninger (2 games) while fining Shea Hillenbrand, Carlos Baerga, Doug Mirabelli, and Ugueth Urbina $500 apiece for their actions in a 7/27/02 brawl with the Orioles at Fenway Park. Manager Grady Little was fined $1,000 for telling reporters after the game that his team would continue to retaliate vigorously in beanball wars. Watson also suspends Baltimore's Willis Roberts (7 games) and Mevin Mora (4 games) while issuing $500 fines to Gary Matthews Jr. and fellow Orioles David Segui, Jeff Conine and Rodrigo Lopez. The fracas began after Lowe plunked Matthews on the hip in the 4th inning as retribution for Oriole starter Scott Erickson hitting Manny Ramirez on the shoulder with a pitch the previous inning. The benches cleared after Lowe made a derogatory comment to Matthews, prompting Matthews to charge the mound from first base. Umpires ejected Matthews, Cloninger, and Roberts. Sox pitcher Willie Banks suffered a minor right thumb injury while restraining Erickson, and Baltimore's Brook Fordyce sustained a bloody nose while scuffling with Cloninger. Erickson was not disciplined in any way for itting Ramirez or for his role in the melee.

• Ordered Mike Timlin in April 2003 to cease and desist from wearing a camouflage T-shirt beneath his uniform, a gesture Timlin said was a show of support for the US armed forces in Iraq. Timlin said he would ignore Watson's edict:

"Bob Watson told me I couldn't wear camouflage out there," he said. "But it will always be on me when I'm pitching. You guys might not be able to see it, but it'll be there.

"You get used to a shirt and guys have superstitions, but this is a little bit of a support for the American troops over there. They're doing way more in the world than I am when I'm playing baseball. Really, what we're doing is insignificant to what they're doing right now."

• Suspended Grady Little (1 game) and fined him an undisclosed amount for a 6/27/03 incident. Little was ejected during Boston's 25-8 blowout of the Marlins after Hector Almonte threw behind Florida's Andy Fox in the 9th inning. Umpires had already issued warnings to both dugouts after Florida's Blaine Neal hit David Ortiz with a pitch in the 9th. Served without appeal.

• Suspended David Ortiz (5 games/$250) following a 7/16/04 incident against the Angels at Fenway Park. In the course of arguing a call, Ortiz pushed Terry Francona into home plate umpire Matt Hollowell and was ejected. He then threw bats from the dugout onto the field, narrowly missing two other umpires. More here.

• Took no action against the Yankees' Gary Sheffield following a 4/14/05 incident at Fenway Park involving two Fenway Park fans who interfered with his attempt to field a ball hit down the right field line.

• Suspended Red Sox coach Ron Jackson and fined him an undisclosed amount for "excessive arguing" for leaving the dugout during an umpiring dispute on 4/14/05 at Fenway Park. Also fined Terry Francona for criticizing plate umpire Greg Gibson at his postgame press conference. Jackson did not appeal because there is no such process for coaches.

• Suspended and/or fined Bronson Arroyo (6 games), Trot Nixon (2 games/$3,000), Terry Francona (3 games/$3,000) and David Ortiz ($500) in the wake of a 4/24/05 bench-clearing brawl with the Devil Rays at Tropicana Field. Four members of the Devil Rays were also fined and suspended; manager Lou Piniella had his fine reduced from $3,000 to $2,500 after speaking with MLB Director of Administration John McHale. Francona later questioned the fairness of the penalties meted out, while Nixon later questioned why MLB delayed for several weeks enforcement of the penalties assessed to Tampa Bay pitcher Dewon Brazelton.

• Took no action against Terry Francona after he was ejected along with Cardinals manager Tony Larussa after a string of hit batsmen on both sides during a 6/7/05 game in St. Louis.

• Suspended David Wells 6 games and fined him $2,500 for his actions in a 7/2/05 game at Fenway Park in which he waved his glove in disgust at plate umpire Larry Poncino, then turned his back to him and uttered profanity as Poncino returned to the plate, only to have second base umpire Chris Guccione toss him from the game. [Upheld on appeal].

• Suspended Julian Tavarez 10 regular season days (not games) for his role in a 3/27/06 preseason brawl. It began when Tampa Bay's Joey Gathright was tagged out by Tavarez after being caught in a rundown between third base and home place, and escalated to Tavarez striking Gathright with his fists (photo sequence here. Served without appeal.

• Met with Terry Francona on 3/31/06 to address an incident on 3/26/06 in which Josh Beckett had a verbal altercation with Ryan Howard of the Phillies during an exhibition game after the pitcher accused the slugger of showboating with a slow trot around the bases after homering. No suspensions or fines were issued.

• Met with David Ortiz in Philadelphia on 3/31/06 to discuss concerns over inconsistent calling of balls and strikes by home plate umpires.

• Suspended Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain two games and fined him $1,000 for "inappropriate actions" that involved throwing a pitch over the head of Kevin Youkilis at Yankee Stadium on 8/30/07. Served without appeal.

• Suspended Coco Crisp 7 games for charging the mound after being hit by a pitch thrown by Tampa Bay's James Shields on 6/5/08. Reduced to 5 games on appeal. Also suspended were Jon Lester (5 games) and Sean Casey (3 games); neither appealed.

Watson's Moments in the Sun

• On 10/1/1970, Watson became the only player in Astros history to deliver a season-ending walk-off game-winning RBI as a pinch hitter. His 9th-inning single off Don McMahon scored Jimmy Wynn as Houston beat the San Francisco Giants, 2-1.
• On 8/18/73, Watson gunned down Greg Luzinski and home and Bill Robinson at second to help preserve a 3-2 win over the Phillies. He also added an RBI double and scored a run.
• On 5/4/1975, in the opener of a doubleheader at San Francisco's Candlestick Park, Astros catcher Milt May clubbed a 3-run homer in the second inning. Watson, trotting ahead of him from second base, scored the one-millionth run in major league history. He edged out the Reds' Dave Concepcion, who had homered in Cincinnati but crossed home plate 1.5 seconds too late. In Kansas City just moments earlier, Royals right fielder Al Cowens had thrown out Minnesota's Rod Carew when he attempted to score from third base on a fly out.
• On 9/15/1979, Watson hit for the cycle in Baltimore against the Orioles, becoming the third player in history to do so for two different teams, and the first ever to accomplish the feat in both the National League and American League (He had previously done so for the Astros on 6/24/1975). It also marked just the 10th natural cycle in major league history, with Watson hitting a single, double, triple and home run in succession.
• Watson hit six grand slams over his career, five of them with the Astros. Two came 10 days apart in 1970: September 7 in Los Angeles and September 17 in San Diego. His final grand slam came September 11, 1980 at Fenway Park, and helped the Yankees beat the Red Sox 8-5.

Trivia

• On 4/4/1997, with the Astros playing the Rangers in an exhibition game in Oklahoma City, Watson laces a double out to left field. Confusion ensues on the basepaths and both Enos Cabell and Jose Cruz Sr. end up getting tagged out at home by Texas catcher Bill Fahey. In essence, Watson doubled into a double play.
• More than 20 years before MLB approved the use of instant replay during games, Watson was involved in the first controversy involving the technology. On 4/17/1977 in Atlanta, Watson was ruled safe at home plate by umpire Terry Tata when he scored on a passed ball thrown by Braves knuckleballer Phil Niekro. However a video replay shown on the center field scoreboard showed that catcher Biff Pocoroba had tagged Watson out, prompting a chorus of angry boos from the crowd of more than 11,000. The umpires walked of the field to protest the decision to show the play, prompting a long delay. Only after being promised by Braves' executive Bill Lucas that no more close plays would be shown did the crew return to the field. The Braves ultimately won the game, 5-4.
• On 4/21/1978 at Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers are rallying from an 8-6 deficit with two runners on in the bottom of the 9th. Ron Cey rips a liner to Watson at first base, who snares it and steps on the bag to double off Reggie Smith. Watson then spins and throws to Roger Metzger at second base, who beats Bill Russell to the bag to complete a game-ending triple play.
• On 8/19/1980, Watson became the first player in major league history to hit a baseball off the left-center field speaker suspended from the roof of the Kingdome in Seattle. His second-inning blast is ruled a home run, and he goes on to a 3-for-3 day as the Yankees beat the Mariners, 3-1. The speaker, one of three hanging at a height of 102 feet above the outfield turf, would be raised an additional 32 feet at season's end to prevent a similar incident.
• His .2952 career batting average ranks 274th all-time in the major leagues.
• Watson had 12 four-hit games over his career.
• In April 1973, Watson fashioned a 19-game hitting streak, batting .388 over that stretch.
• Though he was shifted from catcher early in his minor league career, Watson nonetheless caught 10 games in the majors: 1 in 1969, 6 in 1970, and 3 in 1973.

Transactions

• January 31, 1965: Signed by the Houston Astros as an amateur free agent.

• June 13, 1979: Traded by the Houston Astros to the Boston Red Sox for a player to be named later, Pete Ladd, and cash. The Boston Red Sox sent Bobby Sprowl (June 19, 1979) to the Houston Astros to complete the trade.

• November 1, 1979: Granted Free Agency.

• November 8, 1979: Signed as a Free Agent with the New York Yankees.

• April 23, 1982: Traded by the New York Yankees to the Atlanta Braves for Scott Patterson (minors).

External Links

• Baseball-Reference.com - Career Statistics and Analysis
• Audio clip (mp3) of Watson scoring baseball's one-millionth run
• Anderson, Dave. Bob Watson deserves a thank you, The New York Times, 10/15/96
• SoSH Thread: The Francona Rule