Robert William Stanley (born November 10, 1954) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher who spent his entire Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Boston Red Sox. He was later the pitching coach for the Buffalo Bisons, Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, through the 2018 season. Early life Stanley attended Kearny High School in Kearny, New Jersey, where he earned all-state honors as a pitcher-shortstop; he came within three outs of pitching a perfect game in May 1973 against Bloomfield High School. Playing career Stanley was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the ninth round of the June 1973 MLB draft, but did not sign with the team, choosing instead to attend college. During this era, another draft was held in the winter; Stanley was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the first round of the January 1974 secondary draft, and this time elected to sign. He began his professional career with the Elmira Pioneers in , spent with the Winter Haven Red Sox, and advanced to the Bristol Red Sox at the Double-A level in . Stanley made his major league debut with the Red Sox on April 16, . Stanley was named an All-Star in , a year in which he pitched in 40 games (30 starts). He won 16 games and lost 12, with an earned run average (ERA) of 3.99. Following two more seasons of mixed usage, Stanley was deployed as a full-time relief pitcher in 1982, maintaining a 3.10 ERA over innings pitched. As of the beginning of the 2022 season, this remains the American League record for innings pitched by a relief pitcher. While he was not named to the All-Star team, Stanley was recognized with down-ballot votes for the Cy Young and Most Valuable Player awards. He was named to his second All-Star team the following season, , appearing in 64 games and pitching innings, while recording 33 saves and a 2.85 ERA, and he remained a fixture of the Red Sox bullpen in the years which followed. Stanley was a key member of the 1986 Red Sox team that came within one strike of winning the World Series but ultimately fell to the New York Mets in seven games. Stanley entered Game 6 with the Red Sox one out away from clinching their first World Series since 1918, holding a one-run lead with runners on first