Bob Chance
A powerful left-handed slugger whose brief, bright major league moment was a record-setting debut for the Cleveland Indians.
1940–2013 (age 73)·American baseball player·Birthday: September 10·The Silent Generation
Biography
Bob Chance’s baseball story is one of a tantalizing flash of potential. A hulking first baseman from Georgia, he spent years in the minors honing his raw power. When he finally got his call to Cleveland in 1963, he announced himself with authority. In his very first major league at-bat, he smashed a triple, a feat no Indian had accomplished in over three decades. The following season, 1964, was his moment in the sun: handed the starting job, he responded by hitting .279 with 14 home runs, providing a jolt of offense. But baseball is a game of adjustments, and Chance’s window was narrow. Pitchers found the holes in his swing, and his defensive limitations became more apparent. He bounced to Washington and California, his playing time dwindling until his big league journey ended after parts of six seasons. He remains, however, a permanent answer in trivia: the man who started his career with a historic bang.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Bob was born in 1940, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bob Was Born
The biggest hits of 1940
#1 Movie
Fantasia
Best Picture
Rebecca
Bob's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1940Born
The Blitz: Germany bombs London
Gas: $0.18/galHome: $2,938Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I'll Never Smile Again" — Tommy DorseyBest Picture: Rebecca
1945Started school
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
1953Became a teenager
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1956Could drive
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1958Could vote
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1961Turned 21
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1970Turned 30
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1980Turned 40
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1990Turned 50
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 60
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 70
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2013Died at 73
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
Key Achievements
- In his 1964 season with Cleveland, he served as the primary first baseman and hit 14 home runs with 80 RBIs.
- Recorded a triple in his first major league at-bat in 1963, the first Cleveland player to do so since 1932.
- Played in the major leagues for parts of six seasons with three different American League teams.
Did You Know?
He hit a triple in his very first major league plate appearance for the Cleveland Indians.
He was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 215 pounds during his playing days.
He threw right-handed but batted left-handed.
He was born in Statesboro, Georgia.
“I hit that first pitch harder than I'd ever hit anything in my life.”
