Orioles announce 'Thanks, Brooks Day' for Sept. 24, marking 45th anniversary of Robinson's retirement

BALTIMORE -- The Baltimore Orioles will mark the 45th anniversary of Brooks Robinson's retirement from baseball with "Thanks, Brooks Day" on Sept. 24.

In his 23-year career with the Orioles, Robinson won 16 Gold Gloves at third base, earning the nickname "The Human Vacuum Cleaner," and was a member of World Series championship teams in 1966 and 1970. He had a career batting average of .267 and socked 268 homer runs and 1,357 RBI.

Locally, he will forever be remembered for his modesty and generosity in the community, inspiring sportswriter Gordon Beard to remark, "Brooks never asked anyone to name a candy bar after him. In Baltimore, people name their children after him."

Robinson announced his retirement in August of the 1977 season, while the team was on the road playing the Minnesota Twins. At 40, he was serving as a player-coach and had ceded most of the playing time at the hot corner to Doug DeCinces.

In his typical selfless manner, Robinson announced his retirement to clear the way for catcher Rick Dempsey to be activated.

"It wasn't really a tough decision," Robinson told the Associated Press. "I would have liked to have played the rest of the year, but we're in a position now where we had a couple of guys hurt and had to get them back on the active list."

Manager Earl Weaver said, "The guy has done nothing but good the 10 years I've known him. You can't replace a guy like that - a Hall of Famer."

The Orioles honored Robinson on Sept. 18 of that year with "Thanks, Brooks Day" at Memorial Stadium, according to an article from the Society of American Baseball Research.

Robinson only agreed to the ceremony "with the stipulation that there to be no gifts and that any donations go to the Johns Hopkins Children's Center and the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation," the article states.

A total of 51,798 fans packed Memorial Stadium for the game against the Boston Red Sox, a 10-4 Orioles loss. The team finished 97-64 on the season, good for second place in the seven-team American League East.

Despite his wishes, Robinson was given a new car, a Hawaiian vacation and replacement Gold Gloves; he only had two left after donating most of the others to local charities, according to the SABR article.

Addressing the fans, Robinson said: "It's been a beautiful 23 years. It turned out to be a beautiful day, and you're all beautiful people."

And now, the 2022 Orioles will pay homage to the original "Thanks, Brooks Day" when the Houston Astros come to town later this month. 

The first 15,000 fans age 15 and older will receive a poster print of "Gee, Thanks Brooks," Norman Rockwell's painting depicting Robinson, dressed in full uniform, signing an autograph for a young fan.

Prior to the game, Robinson, who serves as a Special Advisor and Community Liaison for the ballclub, will be honored in a ceremony and driven around the warning track of Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

During the game, fans will have the chance to win an autographed version of the poster.