 “Last
of the ’31 Phils” Passes On
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.
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