Robert "Bo" Belinsky (December 7, 1936 – November 23, 2001) was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball, who became an instant southern California celebrity as a rookie with the original Los Angeles Angels, especially when the fourth of his season-opening four straight wins was a no-hitter against his former organization, the Baltimore Orioles. Belinsky is one of only two pitchers in Angels franchise history to start his career with a four-game winning streak or better (the other being Jered Weaver).
When the Los Angeles Angels drafted him in 1961, he scornfully turned down their contract, saying he could make more money hustling pool--which is what he used to do before he became a professional baseball player.
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Gave up Hank Aaron's 400th home run (20 April 1966).
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Former professional pool hustler.
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His Jewish mother converted to Catholicism at the time of her marriage to Belinsky's father.
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Threw a no-hitter against the Baltimore Orioles on 5 May 1962, the team the Los Angeles Angels had bought him from. Belinsky "credited" the no-no to a girl he had picked up the night before. He'd later claim that his career tanked because his repeated efforts to track her down failed.
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Went 28-51 with the Angels (1962-1964), Philadelphia Phillies (1965-1966), Houston Astros (1967), Pittsburgh Pirates (1969) and Cincinnati Reds (1970).
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Did charity work on behalf of his church, the Muscular Dystrophy Association and the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.
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After years of drug and alcohol abuse, he became a born-again Christian, joining the Pentacostal church in 1998.
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Married and divorced paper heiress Janie Weyerhaeuser, with whom he had twin daughters.
Pitched for the American League's Los Angeles Angels, 1962-1964; and the National League's Philadelphia Phillies (1965-1966), Houston Astros (1967), Pittsburgh Pirates (1969), and Cincinnati Reds (1970).