Sherrard Alexander Robertson (January 1, 1919 — October 23, 1970) was a Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

-American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 outfielder

Outfielder

Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...

, second baseman

Second baseman

Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...

 and front office executive in Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

.

Member of Griffith baseball dynasty

The nephew of Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher

Pitcher

In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...

, manager

Manager (baseball)

In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...

 and club owner Clark Griffith

Clark Griffith

Clark Calvin Griffith , nicknamed "the Old Fox", was a Major League Baseball pitcher, manager and team owner.-Biography:...

, Robertson was part of an extended family that operated the Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins

Minnesota Twins

The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...

 franchise of the American League

American League

The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...

 for almost 65 years. Robertson's brother Calvin

Calvin Griffith

Calvin Robertson Griffith , born Calvin Robertson in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, was a Major League Baseball team owner...

 was adopted by Clark Griffith, took his uncle's last name and succeeded him as the president and majority owner of the Senators (1955–1960). He moved the club to Minneapolis

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...

-St. Paul after the 1960

1960 in baseball

-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Pittsburgh Pirates over New York Yankees ; Bobby Richardson, MVP*All-Star Game , July 11 at Municipal Stadium: National League, 5-3*All-Star Game , July 13 at Yankee Stadium: National League, 6-0...

 season, then led the Minnesota Twins until he sold them in 1984

1984 in baseball

-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Detroit Tigers over San Diego Padres ; Alan Trammell, MVP*American League Championship Series MVP: Kirk Gibson*National League Championship Series MVP: Steve Garvey...

.

Sherry Robertson was the longtime director of the team's farm system, and two other brothers, Jimmy and Billy, were also club executives. In addition, brother-in-law Joe Haynes

Joe Haynes (baseball player)

Joseph Walton Haynes was an American Major League Baseball pitcher for the Washington Senators and Chicago White Sox...

 was an executive vice president of the Senators and Twins; another brother-in-law, Joe Cronin

Joe Cronin

Joseph Edward Cronin was a Major League Baseball shortstop and manager.During a 20-year playing career, he played from 1926–45 for three different teams, primarily for the Boston Red Sox. Cronin was a major league manager from 1933–47...

, was a Hall of Fame shortstop

Shortstop

Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...

 who was player-manager of the Senators in 1933–1934 (leading them to the 1933

1933 in baseball

-Headline Events of the Year:* First Major League Baseball All-Star Game, July 6 at Comiskey Park: American League, 4-2.* First Negro League Baseball All-Star Game.-Major League Baseball:*World Series: New York Giants over Washington Senators...

 AL pennant), manager and then general manager

General manager (baseball)

In Major League Baseball, the general manager of a team typically controls player transactions and bears the primary responsibility on behalf of the ballclub during contract discussions with players....

 of the Boston Red Sox

Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...

 (1935–1958), and president of the American League from 1959–1973; and at least two nephews, Clark Griffith II and Bruce Haynes, took active roles in managing the Twins' affairs.

Playing career

Sherry Robertson, a native of Montreal, Quebec, was the son of a minor league

Minor league baseball

Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...

 player; his mother was the elder Griffith's sister-in-law. He moved to the Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

, area with his widowed mother and siblings when he was a child. He attended the University of Maryland

University of Maryland, College Park

The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...

. A left-handed batter who threw right-handed, Robertson saw MLB service with the Senators (1940-41, 1943 and 1946-52) and Philadelphia Athletics

Oakland Athletics

The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....

 (1952). In ten seasons he played in 597 games and had 1,507 at bat

At bat

In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance...

s, scored 200 run

Run (baseball)

In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...

s, and compiled 346 hit

Hit (baseball)

In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....

s, 55 double

Double (baseball)

In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....

s, 18 triple

Triple (baseball)

In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....

s, 26 home run

Home run

In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...

s, 151 runs batted in, 32 stolen base

Stolen base

In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...

s, 202 walks

Base on balls

A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...

, with a .230 batting average

Batting average

Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...

, .323 on-base percentage, .342 slugging percentage, 515 total bases

Total bases

In baseball statistics, total bases refers to the number of bases a player has gained with hits, i.e., the sum of his hits weighted by 1 for a single, 2 for a double, 3 for a triple and 4 for a home run.Only bases attained from hits count toward this total....

 and 14 sacrifice hits.

Robertson returned to uniform as a bench coach

Coach (baseball)

In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, or head coach, who determines the lineup and decides how to substitute players during the game...

 with the Twins in 1970. After that season, he died from injuries suffered in an automobile accident in Houghton, South Dakota

Houghton, South Dakota

Houghton is an unincorporated community in Brown County, South Dakota, United States. Although not tracked by the Census Bureau, Houghton has been assigned the ZIP code of 57449.-Notable natives:...

, at the age of 51. He was elected to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame

Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame

The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum is a museum located in St. Marys, Ontario, Canada. The museums commemorates great players, teams, and accomplishments of baseball in Canada.-History:...

 in 2007.

Clash with Jeff Heath

Robertson as an active player in 1946 had a brief but interesting experience with another ballplayer from Canada, Jeff Heath

Jeff Heath

John Geoffrey Heath was a Canadian left fielder in Major League Baseball who played most of his career for the Cleveland Indians. He was one of the American League's most promising power hitters of the late 1930s and early 1940s, twice leading the AL in triples, and batting at least .340 with over...

. Heath in his baseball career had good numbers and hit with power. He was physically very strong and a good athlete, but he was a bit of a trouble maker. Some writers at the time alluded to a general lack of intelligence. In December 1945 he was traded from Cleveland

Cleveland Indians

The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...

 to the Senators in exchange for very fast outfielder George Case

George Case

George Washington Case was an American left and right fielder in Major League Baseball who played most of his career for the Washington Senators...

 and was Washington's starting right fielder, but oddly the Senators sent him to the St. Louis Browns

Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...

in mid season. The reason: Robertson's relationship to Senator owner Clark Griffith caused Heath to ride Robertson on the bench during games unmercifully about being a lousy player but the "owner's pet." Heath wanted a fight. This led to the mid season trade to the Browns.

Washington could have used Heath, because the next year, 1947, he had a career high 27 home runs, but the Browns, always needing cash to operate, sold him to the Boston Braves after the 1947 season. He batted .319 with 20 home runs for the 1948 Braves as they won a surprise National League pennant, but he missed the World Series after breaking his ankle in a slide toward home plate in the last week of the season. A widely published newspaper photograph of the play showed Heath sliding toward the plate, mouth gaping in shock, with his leg shattered mid-ankle with the lower ankle rotated ninety degrees to the upper ankle.

Career statistics

G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
597	1507	200	346	26	151	.230

Sources