Sergeant Robert Gustav Troy, US Army (August 27, 1888-October 7, 1918)
Bun Troy was an accomplished minor league pitcher who made one start for the Detroit Tigers in 1912.
Born in Germany, Troy emigrated to Pennsylvania with his family just outside of Pittsburgh. It was there he learned how to pitch, eventually catching on with McKeesport Tubers of the Ohio-Pennsylvania League in 1910. Spending 1912 with the Adrian Lions of the Southern Michigan League, the 23-game winner caught the attention of the Tigers. According to Baseball’s Greatest Sacrifices, Troy’s lone game came in Detroit against the Washington Nationals and Walter Johnson. Troy went 6.2 innings, allowing four runs and hits, walking three and fanning one. He spent 1913 again with Adrian, winning another 23 games before pitching one last year with the Pittsfield, Mass Electrics of the Eastern Association.
When Pittsfield folded prior to the 1915 season, Troy’s days as a pro were over.
As with many others, Troy went through the ranks, making it to sergeant in 1918. A part of the Meuse-Argonne campaign, Troy, now an American, fought against his home country. Shot in the chest, Troy succumbed to his wounds at Evacuation Hospital Eight, camped at Petit Maujouy near Verdun on October 7.
First buried with his comrades in France, Troy now rests in his adopted hometown of McDonald, Pennsylvania at Robinson’s Run Cemetery.
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