When the 24 year-old Humberto Robinson appeared on the mound for the Milwaukee Braves on April 20, 1955, the side-winding right-hander was the first Panamanian ever to appear in the major leagues. After several up and down seasons in Milwaukee, Humberto was first traded to the Cleveland Indians and then to the Philadelphia Phillies in the space of one month in 1959.
The
1959 season turned out to be Robinson’s best, and only full, season in the
major leagues. Thriving on the regular work he had sought but never received in
Milwaukee, "Berto", as his teammates called him, ended the season with a combined 36 appearances, 81 innings
pitched, a 3-4 record (including 1-0 with the Indians) and a respectable 3.42
ERA.
The
season proved eventful for another reason as well and that story got Robinson’s
name into the newspapers across the country and into the annals of baseball lore permanently. On September 22, with the
Cincinnati Reds in town, the Phillies were scheduled to play a twi-night doubleheader. Both teams were playing out the string in losing seasons. Robinson, who
was being used as a starter at the end of the season amid injuries to the Phillies
starting staff, was scheduled to pitch the second game.
The
night before the game, Robinson was approached by Harold “Boomie” Friedman in
the bar of the Warwick Hotel. Friedman was part-owner of the Moon-glo Supper
Club in Philly, a popular, if unsavory, hangout for major league baseball players.
“Boomie” was well-known to Robinson and many of the Phillies players. According to a complaint filed in Philadelphia
Municipal Court, Friedman offered Robinson $1,500 dollars to “throw” the game.
Robinson rejected the offer and later witnesses said that he was visibly upset
and crying in the bar after the meeting.
The
next morning, Robinson told the court that Friedman appeared in the pitcher’s
room in the Rittenhouse Hotel and threw a “down-payment” of $200-300 dollars at
Robinson. Robinson again rejected the money, told Friedman to fish it out of
the water basin where it had fallen and asked him to leave.
When
he arrived at Connie Mack Stadium, Robinson told fellow Phils pitcher Ruben
Gomez about the incident between the games of the doubleheader. Gomez
informed Phil’s manager Eddie Sawyer during the fifth inning of the second
game, while Robinson was on the mound. Following the game, Sawyer informed
Quinn, who in turn informed Baseball Commissioner, Ford Frick. Frick passed the
information to Philadelphia Police Commissioner Thomas Gibbon.
As it turned out, despite his emotional upheaval after the bribe attempt, Robinson went out and pitched one of the best games of his career. He hurled seven innings of three hit, two-run ball, and was the winning pitcher in the Phil’s 3-2 decision. Just before he took the mound for the game, at the moment he told Gomez about the bribe attempt, with his voice shaking he said, “I am going to win the game.” Then he went out to the mound and did just that.
At the trial, Robinson testified that when Friedman tried to bribe him he responded, “I can’t do that. I love to play baseball, too much. This is my profession.” Commissioner Frick praised Robinson for his actions, saying he “nipped everything in the bud.” Friedman was eventually sentenced to 2-5 years in prison for his actions. As to why he would attempt to bribe a pitcher on a cellar dwelling club who had won only one game the entire season, Friedman never said. His lawyer pointed out the absurdity, but the jury didn’t buy it.
Robinson lasted only until the middle of the 1960 season with the Phillies. He was optioned to the Phils' AAA affiliate in Buffalo to make room for the Phillies next young phenom Art Mahaffey. Robinson never pitched in the major leagues again, but for one night, at least, he had stolen the spotlight from the stars of the game through a simple act of honesty that helped to uphold the integrity of the game he loved to play.
