'''Robert Thomas Walker''' (November 7, 1948 – October 23, 2023) was an American professional baseball [[pitcher]]. Walker pitched all or part of six seasons in [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB), from 1972 until 1977, for the [[Montreal Expos]], [[Detroit Tigers]], [[St. Louis Cardinals]], and [[California Angels]].<ref name="MLB-Walker-Clemente-Jan2013">{{cite news|last1=Singer|first1=Tom|title=Living legacy: Walker carries spirit of Clemente; Father of Bucs infielder nearly took fateful plane trip that claimed life of legend|url=http://m.mlb.com/news/article/40840542/living-legacy-pirates-second-baseman-neil-walker-carries-spirit-of-roberto-clemente|accessdate=June 9, 2016|work=[[Major League Baseball]]|date=January 3, 2013}}</ref>

After graduating from Chamberlain High School in Tampa, Florida in 1966, Walker was drafted by the [[Baltimore Orioles]] in the 1968 January amateur draft.<ref name="MLB-Walker-Clemente-Jan2013"/><ref name="Milb-TexasLeagueHOF-July2015"/> On August 4, 1971, while playing for the [[Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs]] in the Double-A [[Dixie Association]], Walker threw a 15-inning [[no-hitter]] to beat the [[Albuquerque Dodgers]] 1–0. He threw 193 pitches to win the game.<ref name="MLB-Walker-Clemente-Jan2013"/><ref name="Milb-TexasLeagueHOF-July2015">{{cite news|title=Class of 2015: Eight Elected to the Texas League Hall of Fame|url=http://www.milb.com/content/page.jsp?ymd=20150707&content_id=135395210&sid=l109&vkey=league1|accessdate=June 9, 2016|work=[[Texas League]]|publisher=[[Minor League Baseball]]|date=July 1, 2015}}</ref><ref name="KayserKing2012"/> In 1972, Walker was selected by the [[Montreal Expos]] in the [[Rule 5 draft]] and made his major league debut that season.<ref name="KayserKing2012" /> He was traded along with [[Terry Humphrey]] from the Expos to the Tigers for [[Woodie Fryman]] on December 4, {{mlby|1974}}.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1974/12/05/archives/orioles-sendmcnallytoexpos-allen-balks-at-trade-to-braves-singleton.html Durso, Joseph. "Orioles Send McNally to Expos; Allen Balks at Trade to Braves," ''The New York Times'', Thursday, December 5, 1974.] Retrieved May 3, 2020</ref> The last batter he faced in the majors, [[Lyman Bostock]], lined into a [[triple play]].<ref>{{cite news|agency=Associated Press|title=Angels Turn Triple Play|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1346&dat=19770724&id=QmFNAAAAIBAJ&sjid=vPoDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5472,6164128&hl=en|accessdate=June 9, 2016|work=[[The Ledger|Lakeland Ledger]]|date=July 24, 1977|location=[[Bloomington, Minnesota]]}}</ref> Walker posted an 18–23 record in 191 major league appearances over six seasons.<ref name="KayserKing2012">{{cite book|author1=Tom Kayser|author2=David King|title=Baseball in the Lone Star State: The Texas League's Greatest Hits|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0EPpCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA162|accessdate=June 8, 2016|date=August 31, 2012|publisher=[[Trinity University Press]]|isbn=978-1-59534-119-8|pages=162–164|chapter=45}}</ref>

In 1972, while playing winter ball in [[Puerto Rico]], Walker and several other players helped [[Roberto Clemente]] load a plane carrying relief supplies to survivors of the [[1972 Nicaragua earthquake|Nicaragua earthquake]] after [[Christmas]]. He offered to accompany Clemente on the trip to the Central American nation, but the plane was full and Clemente told him to stay behind and enjoy his [[New Year's Eve]]. A few hours later, Walker returned to his condo and saw the news reports that Clemente's plane had crashed off the coast of [[Isla Verde, Puerto Rico]].<ref name="MLB-Walker-Clemente-Jan2013"/>

Walker and his wife, Carolyn, lived in [[Gibsonia, Pennsylvania]].<ref name = Cook>{{cite news|url = https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/ron-cook/2023/10/25/neil-walker-tom-obit-mlb-pittsburgh-pirates-baseball-pine-township/stories/202310250043|title = Neil Walker on his recently passed father, Tom: 'He really lived an incredible life'|last = Cook|first = Ron|date = October 25, 2023|accessdate = October 27, 2023|newspaper = [[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]]}}</ref> Their son, [[Neil Walker (baseball)|Neil Walker]], is a former MLB player who retired in 2021.<ref name="MLB-Walker-Clemente-Jan2013"/><ref>[https://www.ncregister.com/news/pittsburgh-pirates-second-baseman-on-the-gift-of-life "Pittsburgh Pirates' Second Baseman on the Gift of Life"]</ref> Another son, Matt, played in the minor leagues as an [[outfielder]] in the Detroit Tigers and [[Baltimore Orioles]] systems, while another son, Sean, pitched for [[George Mason University]]. Tom was also the brother-in-law of former Montreal Expos pitcher, [[Chip Lang]]. Meanwhile, [[Don Kelly (baseball)|Don Kelly]], a former player for the [[Detroit Tigers]], married his daughter Carrie, a former professional [[women's basketball|basketball]] player, in 2007.

[[Category:Salt Lake City Gulls players]]

[[Category:Deaths from pancreatic cancer in Pennsylvania]]

[[Category:People from Richland Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania]]