Hall of Famer Frank Robinson has died at the age of 83, according to numerous reports.
The Baltimore Sun reported last week that Robinson was in the late stages of a long illness.
Robinson played for five teams in his 21-year career (1956-1976) and became baseball’s first black manager in 1975.
Robinson, an outfielder, spent a bulk of his career as a member of the Cincinnati Reds and Baltimore Orioles. Robinson won an MVP award with Cincinnati and Baltimore, becoming the only player to win honors in both the National and American Leagues. He led Baltimore to two World Series titles, one in 1966 and another in 1970.
Robinson played for three teams in his final four seasons: Los Angeles Dodgers, then-California Angels and Cleveland Indians. He hit 586 home runs in his career and was just 57 hits shy of the 3,000 mark.
Robinson became a player-manager in Cleveland and stayed on as skipper a year after his career as a player ended.
He was also a manager with the San Francisco Giants (1981-1984), Orioles (1988-1991) and Montreal Expos / Washington Nationals (2002-2006).
Robinson is in the Reds, Orioles and Indians Hall of Fame, all of which have statues of him at their home ballparks.
