Robert Keys

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records

Robert Keys was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball for the Memphis Red Sox, the Birmingham Black Barons, and the Philadelphia Stars. Across 21 career appearances, he went 6-11 with a 4.80 ERA and 49 strikeouts. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):
Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):
For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated

W–L 6–11
ERA 4.80
WHIP 1.58
SO 49
Pitcher PIV -1175.2
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
L / R
Height / Weight
5'8" / 160 lb
Born
10/9/1912 in LeFlore, MS, USA
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Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

Robert Keys — Batting
PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
56.0 51.0 6.0 9.0 1.0 1.0 0 4.0 2.0 0 0 .176 .208 .235 .443

Pitching

Robert Keys — Pitching
W L GS CG GF SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA WHIP
22 27 62 36 26 2 405.0 272 218 24 14 61 44 0.53 0.82

Negro Leagues (season totals). Additive Retrosheet-digitized totals for seasons not already in the logs above; they are not summed into the career line. No team/league breakdown is available, and coverage may be partial.

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Pitching

Robert Keys — Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Pitching
Season W L GS CG GF SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA WHIP
1940 1 0 2 2 1 0 15.0 6 6 0 0 0 0 0.00 0.40
1946 0 1 3 0 0 0 2.0 0 7 0 1 0 0 0.00 0.00
1948 1 0 2 1 1 0 11.0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 0.46
Listed seasons · 3 2 1 7 3 2 0 28.0 11 13 0 1 0 0 0.00 0.39

Career Pitching Statistics

Robert Keys — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
6 11 21 16 11 1 0 135.0 156 72 7 57 49 4.80 -1175.2

Career ERA 4.80 vs. league average 3.65 across their career seasons — 31.6% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Robert Keys — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1941 MRS NAL 1 1 2 2 2 1 0 17.0 19 11 6 7 5.82 3.94 (-48%) 382.3
1942 MRS NAL 0 1 3 1 1 0 0 11.0 23 20 5 2 16.36 3.57 (-359%) -1377.3
1942 BBB NAL 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 6.0 5 0 3 1 0.00 — 0.0
1943 PS NN2 2 0 3 2 2 0 0 21.2 24 6 7 16 2.49 3.50 (+29%) 664.3
1943 MRS NAL 1 4 5 5 3 0 0 36.2 43 24 13 13 5.89 3.50 (-68%) 131.5
1944 MRS NAL 1 3 4 4 2 0 0 30.0 27 5 12 9 1.50 3.57 (+58%) 148.3
1945 MRS NAL 0 2 3 2 1 0 0 12.2 15 6 11 1 4.26 3.67 (-16%) -1124.2
Career · 7 seasons 6 11 21 16 11 1 0 135.0 156 72 57 49 4.80 — -1,175

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Career Batting Statistics

Robert Keys — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
25 49 4 8 1 1 0 2 0 3 0 .163 .212 .224 .436 0

Career AVG .163 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — 36.9% below league average.

Career OBP .212 vs. league average .327 across their career seasons — 35.3% below league average.

Career SLG .224 vs. league average .356 across their career seasons — 37.0% below league average.

Career OPS .436 vs. league average .683 across their career seasons — 36.2% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Robert Keys — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1941 MRS NAL 3 6 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .167 — — — — 0.0
1942 MRS NAL 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1942 BBB NAL 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1943 PS NN2 3 10 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .200 — — — — 0.0
1943 MRS NAL 6 14 2 3 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 .214 — — — — 0.0
1944 MRS NAL 4 9 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .222 — — — — 0.0
1945 MRS NAL 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 7 seasons 25 49 4 8 1 1 0 2 0 3 0 .163 — — — — 0

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (127 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Robert Keys — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home37202504.250
Away28171100.059

Pitching — Home / Away

Robert Keys — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home35140.0721324190.84
Away27107.1108117160.08

Last 10 Games — Batting

Robert Keys — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1948-08-30 MEMIN9W 000000000
1946-06-18 MEMCAGL 000000000
1946-06-16 MEMCAGL 000000000
1946-06-02 CVBIN9L 000000000
1946-05-29 CVBCAGW 000000000
1945-09-03 MEMKCML 000000000
1945-09-02 MEMKCML 300000000
1945-08-29 MEMCVBL 000000000
1945-08-27 MEMCVBL 000000000
1945-06-08 MEMCAGL 000000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Robert Keys — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1948-08-30 MEMIN9 W 9.0500000
1946-06-18 MEMCAG L 2.0070001
1946-06-16 MEMCAG — 0.0000000
1946-06-02 CVBIN9 — 0.0000000
1946-05-29 CVBCAG — 0.0000000
1945-09-02 MEMKCM L 7.0850201
1945-08-29 MEMCVB L 0.0000000
1945-08-27 MEMCVB — 1.0000000
1945-06-08 MEMCAG — 0.0000000
1945-05-27 MEMCVB — 5.0410300

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Robert Keys — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 21 16 3 37 5 4

Season-by-Season Fielding

Robert Keys — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1941 MRS P 2 2 0 0 0 1
1942 MRS P 3 1 0 4 1 0
1942 BBB P 1 0 0 5 0 0
1943 PS P 3 2 0 6 0 1
1943 MRS P 5 5 3 13 2 2
1944 MRS P 4 4 0 6 1 0
1945 MRS P 3 2 0 3 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Robert Keys — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 21

Robert Keys: the record in brief

The season rows for Robert Keys begin in 1941. By club, Keys's seasons break down as the Memphis Red Sox (1941 through 1945), the Birmingham Black Barons (1942), and the Philadelphia Stars (1943). Keys, born on October 9, 1912, in LeFlore, MS, USA, is listed as a pitcher and batted left-handed and threw right-handed. The bio gives 5'8" and 160 pounds.

Across 21 games (16 starts), Keys recorded 6 wins against 11 losses with a 4.80 ERA. Keys had 49 strikeouts and 11 complete games. The league ERA over Keys's seasons was 3.65, so the 4.80 figure ran 31.6% worse than average. 1944 was Keys's sharpest full season, a 1.50 ERA against the league's 3.57.

In Negro Leagues play, Keys is credited with 9 hits in 51 at bats (.176). Pitching in the Negro Leagues, Keys went 22-27 with a 0.53 ERA. The Negro Leagues table is compiled from box scores, so it is kept separate from the main career line.

Frequently Asked Questions about Robert Keys

Was Robert Keys a pitcher?
Yes. Robert Keys pitched in the major leagues, recording 6 wins and 49 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Robert Keys hit?
Robert Keys hit 0 career home runs with 8 hits.
What was Robert Keys's career batting average?
Robert Keys batted .163 over his career, with 8 hits in 49 at bats.
How many RBI did Robert Keys have?
Robert Keys drove in 2 runs in his career.
What was Robert Keys's career ERA?
Robert Keys finished with a 4.80 career ERA, going 6-11 with 49 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Robert Keys have?
Robert Keys recorded 49 career strikeouts.