Bob Ojeda
A crafty left-handed pitcher who clinched a World Series for the Mets and later survived a tragic boating accident that took two teammates.
Born 1957 (age 69)·American baseball player, coach, and analyst·Birthday: December 17·Baby Boomers
Biography
Bob Ojeda's baseball career is a story of resilience, defined by one triumphant moment and one profound tragedy. Known as 'O.J.' or 'Bob O,' he was a savvy control pitcher who relied on guile more than overpowering stuff. After years with the Boston Red Sox, his trade to the New York Mets in 1986 placed him at the center of baseball's most colorful universe. That season, he led the Mets' stellar pitching staff in earned run average and delivered a crucial complete-game victory in the World Series against his former team. His career took a dark turn in 1993 when, as a member of the Cleveland Indians, he was at the helm of a boat that crashed into a pier during a night-time outing. Teammates Steve Olin and Tim Crews were killed; Ojeda survived with severe injuries that required extensive surgery and rehabilitation. He made a courageous return to the mound, a testament to his fortitude, before moving into coaching and broadcasting, forever linked to both a championship and a somber chapter in the game's history.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Bob was born in 1957, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bob Was Born
The biggest hits of 1957
#1 Movie
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Best Picture
The Bridge on the River Kwai
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Bob's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1957Born
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1962Started school
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1970Became a teenager
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
1973Could drive
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1975Could vote
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Turned 21
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1987Turned 30
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 40
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 50
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 60
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 69 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the 1986 World Series as a key starting pitcher for the New York Mets.
- Pitched a complete-game, 5-1 victory in Game 2 of the 1986 World Series against the Boston Red Sox.
- Led the 1986 Mets pitching staff with a 2.57 ERA during the regular season.
- Successfully returned to Major League Baseball in 1994 after severe injuries from a 1993 boating accident.
Did You Know?
He was the only player traded from the Red Sox to the Mets before the 1986 season to win the World Series that year.
He later served as the bullpen coach for the Boston Red Sox from 2002 to 2004.
He worked as a pre- and post-game analyst for the Mets on SNY television network.
“You don't pitch with your arm; you pitch with your head and your heart.”
