Sep 25, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher David Robertson (30) throws a pitch against the Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports Eric Hartline
David Robertson pulled a veteran move Monday when he gave media members, including Matt DeGeorge of The Delaware County Times, the following quote about returning to the Phillies for the third time in his career.
"I know all the staff here. I've been here before. I've had a great run here. Third time's the charm," Robertson said. "I mean listen, this is the place I want to be."
You can generate at least two different headlines out of that one quote. For the purposes of this story, we'll focus on the part about the third time being the charm.
Robertson initially signed a two-year/$23 million deal with the Phillies in January of 2019. However, he only pitched in seven games over the lifetime of that contract, with Tommy John surgery and the subsequent recovery knocking him out for most of 2019 and the entirety of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
The Phillies reacquired Robertson in a trade with the Chicago Cubs in August of 2022. He posted a 2.70 ERA over 22 games that season, and while he ran out of gas a bit in the postseason, Robertson was part of a club that ultimately won the NL pennant before losing to the Houston Astros in six games in the World Series.
Rob Thomson on David Robertson: “I think he’ll be great for some of the younger pitchers.”
(Via @TimKellySports) pic.twitter.com/CwVTUVuJMN
Since his most recent appearance with the Phillies, Robertson has also appeared with the New York Mets, Miami Marlins and Texas Rangers. For someone who only pitched for the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox over the first decade plus of his career, Robertson has become a journeyman in the second half of his career. And when he returns to the mound for the Phillies in August, it will mark the third separate stint with the team.
According to the Phillies' pregame notes Monday, Robertson will join just two other players in franchise history — Chuck Klein and Bill Hallman — as having appeared with the team over three different stints. Even for such a niche category, that's a remarkably short list considering the Phillies have played since 1883.
Klein — a Hall of Fame right fielder — spent the first six seasons of his MLB career with the Phillies, even winning NL MVP in 1932. After spending two-and-a-half years with the Cubs, Klein returned to the Phillies in a trade in the summer of 1936. Klein then played for the Phillies in 1937 and 1938, before playing being acquired by the Pittsburgh Pirates during the 1940 season. But he would wind down his career by appearing in 196 games for the Phillies between 1940 and 1944. Klein hit .326 with 243 home runs, 983 RBIs and a .983 OPS over parts of 15 seasons as a Phillie.
Hallman spent the first two seasons of his career with the Phillies in 1888 and 1889, before playing for the Philadelphia club of the Players League in 1890. In 1891, he played with the Philadelphia Athletics of the American Association. Hallman returned to the Phillies from 1892 to 1897, before being acquired by the St. Louis Browns during the final of those six seasons. After stints with the Browns, Brooklyn Grooms and Cleveland (they were literally just called Cleveland in 1901), Hallman came back for parts of three seasons from 1901 to 1903. In parts of 11 years with the Phillies, Hallman — who saw time at second base, shortstop and third base — hit .278 with 12 home runs, 182 doubles and 574 RBIs.
To this point, Robertson has made 29 appearances as a Phillie during the regular season, posting a 3.30 ERA and recording six saves. But he'll have one more chapter, and the Phillies hope that the third time is indeed the charm.
