Bob Milacki


Robert Milacki is an American former professional baseball player who pitched in Major League Baseball from to, primarily with the Baltimore Orioles. He also played for the Kintetsu Buffaloes in Nippon Professional Baseball in 1997.

Playing career

Milacki played college baseball for Yavapai Community College, where future teammate Curt Schilling later pitched. The San Diego Padres drafted Milacki in the first round of the January phase of the 1983 Major League Baseball draft, but he did not sign. The Baltimore Orioles drafted him in the second round of the June 1983 draft. Milacki made his MLB debut with the Orioles in 1988, starting three games as a September call-up. He conceded only 2 runs and 9 hits in 25 innings. In his rookie season of 1989, Milacki led the American League with 36 games started, posting a 14–12 record with a career-best 3.74 ERA. He set a franchise record by pitching 243 innings as a rookie. Perhaps due to that workload, he was limited by shoulder tendonitis the following year.
On April 23, 1989, Milacki pitched a rare complete game shutout against the Minnesota Twins in which he faced the minimum 27 batters; he allowed 3 hits and 2 walks.
On July 13, 1991, the Orioles defeated the Oakland A's 2–0 on a combined no-hitter. Milacki pitched the first six innings of the game, with no runs on no hits, three walks and three strikeouts. He was pulled from the game after a line drive struck him on the arm, despite the batter being retired when the ball bounced towards first base. Mike Flanagan, Mark Williamson, and Gregg Olson each followed up with a no-hit scoreless inning to complete the no-hitter.
After posting a 6–8 record for the Orioles in 1992, Milacki became a free agent. He pitched a combined 22 major league games with the Cleveland Indians, Kansas City Royals, and Seattle Mariners through the 1996 season. He spent most of those seasons in Triple-A, serving as a spot starter and September call-up. He was elected to play in the 1995 Triple-A All-Star Game. In 1997, he pitched in six games for the Kintetsu Buffaloes in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball with a 7.30 ERA. He returned to the American minor leagues, pitching in Triple-A in 1998 and 1999, then for the independent St. Paul Saints in 2000.

Coaching career

Since 2001, Milacki has been a minor league pitching coach in several organizations:
Milacki was born in Trenton, New Jersey. After his parents divorced, he grew up in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. He graduated from Lake Havasu High School in 1982 and attended Yavapai Community College. Milacki and his wife have three children. Their daughter Ashlee played college basketball for Glendale Community College. Their son Bobby was drafted in the 38th round by the Washington Nationals in the 2018 MLB draft and pitched in Triple-A in 2024 and 2025.