By Bob Warrington

Robert “Bobby” Stevens, the last surviving member of the 1931 Philadelphia Phillies, passed away on 30 December 2005.

He was 98 and was living in a retirement community in Frederick, MD at the time of his death. Stevens was a minor leaguer for all but 12 games of an eight-year pro career that lasted from 1927-34. He was called up by the Phillies from the International League in 1931 to play shortstop while starter Dick Bartell was injured. He hit .343 in 12 games then never played another big-league game. He earned $700 a month while playing with the Phillies and made his debut with the team on 3 July 1931.

When asked why he wasn’t given another shot at the majors, Stevens noted in a 2000 interview, “Well, my fielding average was like my batting average.” In the 10 games he played shortstop for the Phillies, he committed six errors. (Stevens appeared as a pinch hitter in the other two games in which he played for the team.) In the 35 times he came to bat for the Phillies, Stevens collected 12 hits (all singles), recorded two walks, and knocked in four RBIs. Two of the hits came off Hall of Famer Carl Hubbell.

On 16 August 2000, a dedication ceremony was held at Veterans Stadium for the historical marker—sponsored by the Philadelphia A’s Historical Society—for Baker Bowl/National League Park, which the Phillies called home between 1887 and mid-1938. The ballpark was located at Broad and Huntingdon Streets in North Philadelphia. Stevens attended the ceremony, symbolically representing all Phillies players who toiled for the club when it called Baker Bowl/National League Park home.

A modest man, Stevens was taken aback by all of the attention showered upon him at the dedication ceremony. “All I did to get this kind of a crowd is to outlive everybody,” Stevens told assembled reporters at a press conference, and he often referred to himself as “the last of the ’31 Phils.” Stevens called Veterans Stadium a “beautiful stadium.” He commented that the Phillies’ clubhouse “looked like the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC,” while also noting, “Ours (at Baker Bowl) looked like a cow stable.”

Despite his brief time in the big leagues, Stevens played against some of the games greatest stars of the period in exhibition games. Major League teams would often play exhibition games against minor league clubs as part of their pre-season tune-up and also during off days in the regular season to rake in extra revenue. Stevens played opposite such greats as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Ty Cobb, and he recalled that Cobb gave him a dirty look when he threw out the “Georgia Peach” at second base in one contest.

In October 2000, Stevens attended the A’s Society Reunion Breakfast. He signed numerous autographs and regaled attendees with stories from his playing days.

Stevens was one of only a handful of players still living who toiled for the Phillies when the club called Baker Bowl/National League Park home.