Robert Edward Belloir is a former professional baseball player. Born in Heidelberg

Heidelberg

-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...

, West Germany

West Germany

West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....

, he was the 25th German born player in Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

.

Belloir attended Mercer University

Mercer University

Mercer University is an independent, private, coeducational university with a Baptist heritage located in the U.S. state of Georgia. Mercer is the only university of its size in the United States that offers programs in eleven diversified fields of study: liberal arts, business, education, music,...

 in Macon, Georgia

Macon, Georgia

Macon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia...

, and was drafted by the Cleveland Indians

Cleveland Indians

The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...

 in the eighth round of the 1969 Major League Baseball Draft

1969 Major League Baseball Draft

-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1969 Major League Baseball draft.* Did not sign- Background :The Washington Senators tabbed slugging outfielder Jeff Burroughs of Wilson High School in Long Beach, CA as the nation's number one pick...

. He batted .233 with three home runs in five and a half seasons (he missed the entire season due to military service) in their farm system when he was the player to be named later in the deal that sent Blue Moon Odom and a player to be named later to the Atlanta Braves

Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....

 (for whom Belloir worked as a stadium usher prior to signing with the Indians) for Roric Harrison

Roric Harrison

Roric Edward Harrison is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He holds the distinction of being the last American League pitcher to hit a home run in an American League game before the introduction of the Designated Hitter.-Early years:Harrison signed with the Houston Astros out of Westchester...

 midway through the season.

Belloir received his first call to the majors when a broken thumb sidelined Braves second baseman

Second baseman

Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...

 Marty Perez

Marty Perez

Martin Roman Perez Jr. was a shortstop and second baseman for the California Angels , Atlanta Braves , San Francisco Giants , New York Yankees and Oakland Athletics ....

. A shortstop

Shortstop

Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...

 by trade, Bellior filled in at short while regular Braves shortstop Larvell Blanks

Larvell Blanks

Larvell Blanks is a retired American Major League Baseball infielder.Drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 3rd round of the 1969 MLB amateur draft, Blanks would make his Major League Baseball debut with the Atlanta Braves on July 19, 1972, and appeared in his final game on August 3, 1980.Blanks'...

 filled in at second. He made his major league debut on August 2, and fouled out pinch hitting for pitcher

Pitcher

In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...

 Max Leon

Max Leon

Maximino León Molino is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from through for the Atlanta Braves...

 in his only at-bat.

Belloir surprised many with his hot hitting when he arrived in the majors. He went 4-for-4 on August 22 with four runs batted in against the St. Louis Cardinals

St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...

. The following day, he collected two more hits

Hit (baseball)

In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....

 to bring his batting average

Batting average

Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...

 to .313.

From there, Belloir cooled down, ending the season with a .219 average. He split the next three seasons between the Braves and their triple A affiliate, the Richmond Braves

Richmond Braves

The Richmond Braves were the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves and played in the International League. Colloquially referred to as the R-Braves, they were based in Richmond, Virginia, where they played from 1966, when the Milwaukee Braves moved to Atlanta where their AAA team, the Crackers,...

, playing some second and third base

Third baseman

A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...

as well as short. He was inducted into the Mercer University Hall of Fame in .