1978 Topps Baseball #186 - Bob Stanley

• Bob Stanley spent his entire 13 year major league career with the Boston Red Sox.
• Stanley was drafted by the Red Sox in 1974. Bob moved up the minor league chain from 1974-1976.
• Bob made an impression on manager Don Zimmer in spring training in 1977 and he made the Red Sox staff. Zimmer originally planned to carry nine pitchers but because of Stanley's spring performance Don decided to carry ten pitchers instead. Stanley was in the starting rotation until early June and then went to the bullpen for the rest of the season. Bob was 8-7 with three saves in 41 games (13 starts) in 1977.
• Stanley had a great season in 1978. He had a .882 winning percentage due to his 15-2 record. Bob made three spot starts and was a reliever for the rest of the season. Unfortunately for Red Sox fans, Stanley gave up a solo home run to Reggie Jackson in the top of the 8th inning of the AL East playoff game that eventually proved to be the winning run (the Red Sox lost the game 5-4). Bob was 7th in AL Cy Young award voting in 1978.
• In 1979 Stanley was mostly used as a starter. Bob was 16-12 with 1 save and had a 3.99 ERA in 40 games (30 starts). Stanley also made the AL All Star team in 1979.
• Bob had identical records in 1980 (10-8, 14 saves, 3.39 ERA in 52 games/17 starts) and in 1981 (10-8, 3.83 ERA in 35 games/1 start).
• Stanley was used exclusively in relief for the next four seasons. In 1982 he was 12-7 with 14 saves and had a 3.10 ERA in 48 games. Bob was 8-10 with a career-high 33 saves, had a 2.85 ERA, and made the AL All Star team in 1983. In 1984 Stanley was 9-10 with an ERA of 3.54 and had 22 saves in 54 games. Bob went 6-6 with 10 saves and had a 2.87 ERA in 48 games in 1985.
• Bob's last season as a closer was in 1986. He made 66 appearances (1 start) and led the Red Sox with 16 saves. Stanley had a 6-6 record and had a 4.37 ERA. Bob was roughed up a bit in the AL Championship Series (0-0, 4.76 ERA in 3 games), but he pitched well in the World Series (0-0, 1 save, 0.00 ERA in 5 games). Stanley had a wild pitch in the 10th inning of game 6 of the World Series that allowed Kevin Mitchell to score the tying run.
• In 1987 Stanley had his toughest season. He was used as a starter for the first 2 1/2 months of the season and again during the month of August. Bob went 4-15 with a 5.01 ERA in 34 games (20 starts).
• Stanley had his last good year in 1988. He went 6-4 with 5 saves and had a 3.19 ERA in 57 games. Bob made two appearances in the AL Championship Series and allowed one run in one inning pitched.
• The 1989 season was Stanley's final season. He was 5-2 with 4 saves and had a 4.88 ERA in 43 games. Bob retired after the 1989 season.
• After his playing career Stanley settled down about 25 miles from Boston and had a landscaping company. Bob did charity work for the Jimmy fund and helped raise money for cancer research. In 2012 and 2013 Stanley was the pitching coach for AAA Las Vegas in the Toronto Blue Jays organization. Bob became the Blue Jays' bullpen coach in 2014.
• 1978 Stats: 15-2, 10 saves, 2.60 ERA in 52 games (3 starts)
• 1978 Highlights:
• Aug 2 - Shut out the New York Yankees for three innings and earned the win. Boston beat New York 7-5 in 17 innings.
• Aug 28 - Earned the win by pitching 2/3 of an inning in Boston's 10-9 comeback win over the Seattle Mariners. It was Bob's seventh victory in the month of August.
• Sept 29 - Started the game and allowed no runs and two hits in seven innings. The Red Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays 11-0.