Bob Kearney

Robert Henry Kearney (born October 3, 1956), is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics, and Seattle Mariners from to . He made his major league debut with the Giants late in the 1979 season, but returned to the minor leagues for the following season. Kearney's strong throwing arm was made evident in a game against the Tacoma Indians in when, he threw out five baserunners attempting to steal second base. He was selected as the catcher for the 1981 Pacific Coast League Northern Division All-Star team.

Kearney began the 1982 season with the Athletics when regular catchers Mike Heath and Jeff Newman were sidelined by injuries but, would later be sent back to the minor leagues. In September, he was recalled to the major leagues after hitting for a .253 batting average in Tacoma. He shared catching duties with Heath in 1983, posting a .255 batting average with 8 home runs and 32 runs batted in. Kearney was named as the catcher for the Topps All-Star Rookie Team and was also named the Baseball Digest All-Star Rookie Catcher Of The Year.

Kearney was traded to the Seattle Mariners before the 1984 season, replacing Rick Sweet as their starting catcher. Despite his strong throwing arm, he developed a reputation for poor pitch-calling skills. During the 1984 season, Mariners pitchers Salomé Barojas and Mike Moore both demanded to have Orlando Mercado as their catcher. This lack of pitch-calling skills along with his light-hitting caused the Mariners to trade for veteran catcher Steve Yeager before the 1986 season. In 1987, he was displaced by Scott Bradley as the Mariners' starting catcher and was released in July of that year after posting a .170 batting average in 51 games.