Bob Heffner

{{short description|American baseball player (born 1938)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}

{{no footnotes|date=March 2022}}

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name=Bob Heffner

|position=Pitcher

|image=Bob Hefffner 1961 Seattle Popcorn.jpg

|caption=Heffner in 1961

|bats=Right

|throws=Right

|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1938|9|13}}

|birth_place=Allentown, Pennsylvania, U.S.

|death_date=

|death_place=

|debutleague = MLB

|debutdate=June 19

|debutyear=1963

|debutteam=Boston Red Sox

|finalleague = MLB

|finaldate=May 20

|finalyear=1968

|finalteam=California Angels

|statleague = MLB

|stat1label=Win–loss record

|stat1value=11–21

|stat2label=Earned run average

|stat2value=4.51

|stat3label=Strikeouts

|stat3value=241

|teams=

}}

Robert Frederic Heffner (born September 13, 1938), nicknamed "Butch", is a retired Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher with the Boston Red Sox ({{by|1963}}–{{by|1965}}), Cleveland Indians ({{by|1966}}), and California Angels ({{by|1968}}). He stood {{convert|6|ft|4|in}} tall and weighed {{convert|200|lb}}, in his playing days.

Early life and education

Heffner was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He attended Allentown High School, now William Allen High School, where he graduated in 1957.

Major League Baseball

On June 12, 1957, Heffner was signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent right out of high school.

Throughout his Major League Baseball (MLB) career, Heffner was used both as starter and reliever. His most productive season came in {{by|1964}} with the Red Sox, when he posted career-highs in wins (seven, including a shutout), strikeouts (112), saves (six), games (55), and innings ({{frac|158|2|3}}).

Hefner's five-season MLB career totals include an 11–21 W–L record, a 4.51 ERA, and six saves. Overall, he appeared in 114 games, 31 of which were as a starter.