Tobytown Robins

Defunct professional negro league baseball team

The **Tobytown Robins** were a professional team that competed as a member of the Negro League baseball team based in Tobytown, Maryland near Potomac, Maryland. They competed in various Negro Leagues throughout their history. They were also one of the four charter members of the Afro-American Professional Baseball League. They then returned to the Negro National League, which had been renamed to the Negro League Baseball. The team was dissolved in 1948 after the dissolution of the Negro League Baseball.

The Robins began in 1901 as an independent team. They were a founding member of the Negro National League (NNL). The Robins left the NNL due to issues with the league's ownership in 1928. They would then go on to join the Afro-American Professional Baseball League (AAPBL) until 1935. The Robins played their home games at Tobytown Park. The Robins had numerous home ballparks, the most notable of which was Tobytown Park, where the team resided from 1926–1931, 1937–1947, and from 1963–1966.

The Robins never won a league championship during their brief stint in the Negro National League from 1926 to 1927. They won their first league championship in 1928, going 20-6 and finishing first in the AAPBL in a season where the team played in both the Negro National League (NNL) and the Afro-American Professional Baseball League (AAPBL), and were crowned champions thanks to their first place finish. In the same season, the Robins were invited to participate in the second annual edition of the Negro World Series, a competition between the champions of the two Negro leagues at the time. The Robins ultimately lost the series to the New York Gothams 1–4.

The Robins had an all-time franchise record of 55–35 (.611).

## History

### Founding and Negro National League (1926–1927)

The Tobytown Robins were founded in 1926 as an all-Black professional baseball team in the Negro National League (NNL). The team was named in honor of the community of the same name. The team would draft players to its inaugural roster from HBCUs across the United States, however they also chose to draft many players from the DC area. In their first season, the Robins finished 3rd in the league, failing to qualify for the playoffs. The following offseason saw the hire of manager Jose Caraballo who had managed the Kansas City Indians for 12 seasons, including four World Series championships. In his first season the Robins improved slightly to an 18–14 record and a close 2nd place finish. The team would again fail to win the league and were not crowned champions of the seasons as the league disbanded the postseason.

### Afro-American Professional Baseball League (1928–present)

The Robins joined the Afro-American Professional Baseball League in 1928 after departing from the NNL due to league corruption, bribery, and embezzlement. They also competed in the first annual Negro World Series against the New York Gothams. They would go on to win a second straight AAPBL championship in 1929 after going 13–13 and finishing second in the league. They defeated the Raleigh Purple Aces 4–2 in the AAPBL Championship.

The following season would be a dissapointing one for the Robins, going 12–14 and placing fourth in the AAPBL.

## Logos and uniforms

The colors of the Robins is Robin Red   (#DC133C), white   with an additional alternate color of gray.

## Season-by-season results

Key

* Season – The team season
* Level – The league the team played in
* League – The conference the team competed in
* Division – The division the team played in
* Finish – The placement in the division
* Won – Games won
* Lost – Games lost
* Win% – Win-loss percentage for the season
* GB – Games behind first place
* Playoffs – Playoff games played, if the team made the playoffs
* Awards – Awards won by team players

## Rivalries

### Scotland Eagles

Main article: Robins-Eagles rivalry
The Scotland Eagles were the historic rivals of the Robins due to their proximity to each other and sharing facilities.