"The best club performance in 1959 was turned in by Bobby Richardson, clever infielder who played third base, shortstop and second base. A late-season surge gave him a .301 figure, the only Yankee to reach .300.
Bobby, who was with the team briefly in 1955 and '56, became a fixture in '57. He started as a pro with Norfolk in 1953, moving to Olean, Binghamton, Denver and Richmond.
Another spray hitter, Bobby is also one of the classiest fielders in the game. Born in Sumter, South Carolina, Bobby is 24."
-Don Schiffer, 1960 Mutual Baseball Annual
1959
April 15: Beats Orioles, 2-1, with two-run double in 9th.
July 14: Beats Indians, 1-0, with RBI single in 2nd.
July 19: Gets three hits in 6-4 win over White Sox.
July 25: Hits home run and two singles in 9-8 win over Tigers.
August 1: Added to American League All-Stars for second game.
August 21: Gets double and two singles in 9-7 victory over A's.
September 3: Gets three hits and three RBIs in rout of Senators.
September 11: Four RBIs on home run and three singles in 9-3 win over Tigers.
September 16: Hits single to start rally that beats White Sox.
September 19: Beats Red Sox, 3-1, on three-run double in fifth.
September 23: Gets three hits, beats Senators in ninth, 5-4.
Comment: "Once settled down at second base, Richardson turned in a top-flight job. A great fielder, he at last seems to have it made."
-Joe Sheehan, Dell Sports Magazine Baseball, April 1960
"Bobby Richardson really came into his own in 1959. Early in the season he was tried at shortstop but got another chance at second base when Gil McDougald was injured. He hasn't relinquished it since.
A fine glove man, quick on the double play, the little man became a strong man with the bat last year. He was the Yanks' only .300 hitter, reaching .301 on the last day of the season.
A native of Sumter, S.C., Bob did regular radio sportscasting last winter. Youth and religious work are among his other important activities, but Bob intends to make a success of his Yankee baseball career. He appears headed in that direction."
-The New York Yankees Official 1960 Yearbook
Robert Clinton Richardson Jr. (2B) #1
Born August 19, 1935 in Sumter, South Carolina where he resides. Height: 5-9, weight: 170. Bats right, throws right. Married and father of two boys, Robert Clinton III (2) and Ronald Owens (1).
-The New York Yankees Official 1960 Yearbook
"Little (5'9") Bobby Richardson holds the distinction of being the only Yankee regular to reach the .300 mark last season. His .301 batting mark, the best of his career- three full seasons- as a big leaguer, has proved to those that doubted it that Bobby can hit major league pitching.
Richardson broke into Organized Ball in 1953, dividing the season between Norfolk and Olean. His .412 batting average in 32 games with the Pennsylvania-Ontario-New York League club earned him a berth with Binghamton of the Class A Eastern League the following spring.
Richardson hit a convincing .310 for the Triplets and was elevated to the Triple A Denver Bears in 1955. He had a .296 mark in the American Association when he got the call to report to the Stadium.
Bobby, who is one of the finest glove men in the business, batted only .154 in 11 games with the Yankees and was sent to Richmond for the balance of the campaign.
In 1956, playing for the Bears again, Richardson batted a solid .328 with 30 doubles, 12 triples, 10 homers, plus 73 runs batted in. That's pretty fair slugging for a 166-pounder.
Bobby made the Yankees 'for keeps' in 1957. In 97 games he batted .256. The following year, in 73 contests, his average dropped nine points.
However, last season, installed as a regular (134 games), he found his batting eye and in addition to hitting .301, collected the first two home runs of his big league career. He also had 18 doubles and six triples while being used primarily as the lead-off man.
Bobby, who'll be 25 in August, lives in his native town of Sumter, South Carolina, with his wife and two sons."
-New York Yankees 1960 Yearbook (Jay Publishing Co.)
"Bobby Richardson was the only Yankee to hit .300 a year ago. This year his average fell off 50 points, but Bob continued to do a cracker-jack job around second base and got his share of important hits.
He has been in two previous World Series, but only as a utility man. At 25, Richardson hopes to contribute to the Yankee cause in this, the New Yorkers' silver anniversary World Series."
-1960 World Series Official Souvenir Program
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