{{short description|American baseball player (born 1956)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}} {{Infobox baseball biography |name=Bob Kearney |image=Bob Kearney - Phoenix Giants.jpg |caption= |position=Catcher |bats=Right |throws=Right |birth_date={{Birth date and age|1956|10|3}} |birth_place=San Antonio, Texas, U.S. |debutleague = MLB |debutdate=September 25 |debutyear=1979 |debutteam=San Francisco Giants |finalleague = MLB |finaldate=June 20 |finalyear=1987 |finalteam=Seattle Mariners |statleague = MLB |stat1label=Batting average |stat1value=.233 |stat2label=Home runs |stat2value=27 |stat3label=Runs batted in |stat3value=133 |teams= *San Francisco Giants ({{By|1979}}) *Oakland Athletics ({{By|1981}}–{{By|1983}}) *Seattle Mariners ({{By|1984}}–{{By|1987}}) |highlights= }} '''Robert Henry Kearney''' (born October 3, 1956), is an American former professional baseball player.<ref name="Bob Kearney at Baseball Reference">{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/k/kearnbo01.shtml |title=Bob Kearney at Baseball Reference |publisher=Baseball Reference |access-date=16 April 2011 }}</ref> He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics, and Seattle Mariners from {{By|1979}} to {{By|1987}}.<ref name="Bob Kearney at Baseball Reference"/>
==Major League career== Kearney was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the fourteenth round of the 1977 Major League Baseball draft out of the University of Texas.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thebaseballcube.com/draft/1977/June-Reg/14.shtml |title=1977 Major League Baseball Draft |publisher=thebaseballcube.com |access-date=16 April 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100107020713/http://www.thebaseballcube.com/draft/1977/June-Reg/14.shtml |archive-date=7 January 2010 }}</ref> He made his major league debut with the Giants late in the 1979 season, but returned to the minor leagues for the following season.<ref name="Bob Kearney at Baseball Reference"/> Kearney was drafted by the Oakland Athletics from the Giants in the {{By|1980}} minor league draft.<ref name="Bob Kearney Trades and Transactions at Baseball Almanac">{{cite web |url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/trades.php?p=kearnbo01 |title=Bob Kearney Trades and Transactions |publisher=Baseball Almanac |access-date=16 April 2011 }}</ref> Kearney's strong throwing arm was made evident in a game against the Tacoma Indians in {{By|1981}} when, he threw out five baserunners attempting to steal second base.<ref>{{cite news |title=Minor league hits a peak |work=Rome News-Tribune |page=3 |date=19 July 1981 |access-date=16 April 2011 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5cxLAAAAIBAJ&pg=4145,2243743&dq=bob+kearney&hl=en}}</ref> He was selected as the catcher for the 1981 Pacific Coast League Northern Division All-Star team.<ref>{{cite news |title=Tribe places Henderson on All-Stars |agency=Associated Press |work=The Spokesman-Review |page=36 |date=11 September 1981 |access-date=16 April 2011 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UfhLAAAAIBAJ&pg=7001,4068412&dq=bob+kearney&hl=en}}</ref>
Kearney began the 1982 season with the Athletics when regular catchers Mike Heath and Jeff Newman were sidelined by injuries but, would later be sent back to the minor leagues.<ref>{{cite news |title=A's Pitching Woes Continue |agency=Associated Press |work=Herald-Journal |page=3 |date=4 June 1982 |access-date=16 April 2011 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=H4osAAAAIBAJ&pg=3006,638681&dq=bob+kearney&hl=en}}</ref> In September, he was recalled to the major leagues after hitting for a .253 batting average in Tacoma.<ref>{{cite news |title=Transactions |work=Observer-Reporter |page=6 |date=7 September 1982 |access-date=16 April 2011 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UK9dAAAAIBAJ&pg=4858,822585&dq=bob+kearney&hl=en}}</ref> He shared catching duties with Heath in 1983, posting a .255 batting average with 8 home runs and 32 runs batted in.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/OAK/1983.shtml |title=1983 Oakland Athletics season |publisher=Baseball Reference |access-date=16 April 2011 }}</ref> Kearney was named as the catcher for the {{By|1983}} Topps All-Star Rookie Team and was also named the Baseball Digest All-Star Rookie Catcher Of The Year.<ref>{{cite news |title=Rookie team named |work=The Spokesman-Review |page=19 |date=19 November 1983 |access-date=16 April 2011 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Gv9WAAAAIBAJ&pg=1845,1808287&dq=topps+all-star+rookie&hl=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://members.tripod.com/bb_catchers/catchers/roy.htm |title=Rookie Catchers Of The Year |publisher=The Encyclopedia of Baseball Catchers |access-date=16 April 2011 }}</ref>
Kearney was traded to the Seattle Mariners before the 1984 season, replacing Rick Sweet as their starting catcher.<ref name="Bob Kearney Trades and Transactions at Baseball Almanac"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/SEA/1984.shtml |title=1984 Seattle Mariners season |publisher=Baseball Reference |access-date=16 April 2011 }}</ref> Despite his strong throwing arm, he developed a reputation for poor pitch-calling skills.<ref name="No Middle Ground">{{cite news |title=No Middle Ground |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |page=20 |date=13 February 1986 |access-date=16 April 2011 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_oNIAAAAIBAJ&pg=2448,3778968&dq=bob+kearney&hl=en}}</ref> During the 1984 season, Mariners pitchers Salomé Barojas and Mike Moore both demanded to have Orlando Mercado as their catcher.<ref>{{cite news |title=It was a great year for baseball oddities |work=The Day |page=9 |date=30 December 1984 |access-date=16 April 2011 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=zTdSAAAAIBAJ&pg=1187,6474718&dq=bob+kearney&hl=en}}</ref> This lack of pitch-calling skills along with his light-hitting caused the Mariners to trade for veteran catcher Steve Yeager before the 1986 season.<ref name="No Middle Ground"/> Yeager was expected to catch the majority of the Mariners' games however, he had a disappointing season and Kearney would eventually lead the team's catchers by appearing in 81 games.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/SEA/1986.shtml |title=1986 Seattle Mariners season |publisher=Baseball Reference |access-date=16 April 2011 }}</ref> In 1987, he was displaced by Scott Bradley as the Mariners' starting catcher and was released in July of that year after posting a .170 batting average in 51 games.<ref name="Bob Kearney at Baseball Reference"/><ref name="Bob Kearney Trades and Transactions at Baseball Almanac"/>
==Career statistics== In an eight-year career, Kearney played in 479 games, accumulating 316 hits in 1356 at bats for a .233 career batting average along with 27 home runs and 133 runs batted in.<ref name="Bob Kearney at Baseball Reference"/> He ended his career with a .987 fielding percentage.<ref name="Bob Kearney at Baseball Reference"/> Kearney led American League catchers in {{By|1984}} with 823 putouts, and in {{By|1985}}, he led the league in fielding percentage with a .995 average, committing only three errors in 108 games.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/AL/1984-fielding-leaders.shtml |title=1984 American League Fielding Leaders |publisher=Baseball Reference |access-date=16 April 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/AL/1985-fielding-leaders.shtml |title=1985 American League Fielding Leaders |publisher=Baseball Reference |access-date=16 April 2011 }}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{Baseball stats |br= k/kearnbo01 }}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kearney, Bob}} Category:1956 births Category:Baseball players from San Antonio Category:Major League Baseball catchers Category:San Francisco Giants players Category:Oakland Athletics players Category:Seattle Mariners players Category:Texas Longhorns baseball players Category:Great Falls Giants players Category:Waterbury Giants players Category:Shreveport Captains players Category:Phoenix Giants players Category:Tacoma Tigers players Category:Living people Category:20th-century American sportsmen