Robert Edward Belloir (July 13, 1948 – November 13, 2023) was an American professional baseball player. Born in Heidelberg, Germany, he was the 25th German-born player in Major League Baseball.
Belloir was drafted into the United States Army and, for two years, did not pick up a baseball. His time in the Army included a six month deployment to Vietnam.[1]
Upon returning to baseball, he was the player to be named later in the deal that sent Blue Moon Odom and a player to be named later to the Atlanta Braves (for whom Belloir had worked as a stadium usher before signing with the Indians)[2] for Roric Harrison midway through the 1975 season.
Belloir received his first call to the majors when a broken thumb sidelined Braves second basemanMarty Perez. On the same day as his call-up he learned that his wife was pregnant with their first child, Dana.[1] A shortstop by trade, Belloir filled in at short while regular Braves shortstop Larvell Blanks filled in at second. He made his major-league debut on August 2 and fouled out pinch hitting for pitcherMax León in his only at-bat.[3]
Belloir surprised many with his hot hitting when he arrived in the majors. He went 4-for-4 on August 22 with four runs batted in against the St. Louis Cardinals.[4] The following day, he collected two more hits to bring his batting average to .313.
From there, Belloir cooled down, ending the season with a .219 average. He split the next three seasons between the Braves and their triple A affiliate, the Richmond Braves, playing some second and third base as well as short. He was inducted into the Mercer University Hall of Fame in 1981.[5]
Belloir died on November 13, 2023, at the age of 75.[6]
References
^ abcMillians, Rick (March 11, 1977). "Coincidence". The Macon News. p. 1C. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
