Brooks Robinson began his career with the Baltimore Orioles.

The lasting memory of Brooks Robinson for many remains his wizardry in the 1970 World Series. But countless others will remember the man behind the statistics, records, and awards. Known as “The Human Vacuum Cleaner,” Brooks Robinson is regarded as arguably the best defensive third-baseman the game has ever seen – he could make even the most difficult of plays look routine.

Robinson was born in Little Rock on May 18, 1937, of mixed German-English extraction. His father was instrumental in the development of his baseball skills, even at a young age.Robinson began his career with the Baltimore Orioles, the only team he ever played for, in 1955, and for 23 years dazzled fans on the field with his glove. And one of my earliest memories is the day he cut off an old broom so the handle was about the right size for me to swing. Robinson retired after the 1977 season and the Orioles wasted no time in retiring his number 5. The Orioles played their last game at Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium on October 6, 1991.

Although he also played football and basketball in high school, baseball was the sport he most excelled at. One of many the scouts to observe the wunderkind and his glovework at American Legion games was Lindsay Deal, a former minor-league teammate of Baltimore manager/general manager Paul Richards.

The first player called to take the field was Brooks Robinson.