Sunday, November 18, 2018

Bob L. Miller - The 11th Met pitcher


Robert Lane Miller, or "Nelson" as Casey called him, joined the Mets in the 1961 expansion draft.  Baseball Reference lists Bob as our first pick in the "Premium Phase" of the draft.  Wikipedia states that Jay Hook was the first pick of that phase with Miller following up as our 2nd pick.  Bob had a tough luck season in 1962, setting a franchise record of twelve straight losses.  This streak lasted for over 30 years until broken by Anthony Young in in 1993 with 27 losses.  Bob was dealt to the Dodgers for Larry Burright and Tim Harkness in November of '62.  Miller went on to pitch very well after his trade from the Mets, enjoying a 17 year career.   Bob returned to the Mets in 1973, when he was purchased from the Tigers on September 23rd.  He pitched only one inning and unfortunately was ineligible for the '73 postseason roster.  Miller did follow up with a strong season in '74.  In his age 35 and final season, Bob posted a 3.58 ERA in 58 relief appearances.   Sadly Mr. Miller was killed in an automobile accident on August 6th, 1993.  

No comments:

Post a Comment