| Sal Maglie | |||
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Maglie in about 1953.
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| Pitcher | |||
| Born: April 26, 1917 Niagara Falls, New York |
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| Died: December 28, 1992 (aged 75) Niagara Falls, New York |
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MLB debut
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| August 9, 1945 for the New York Giants | |||
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Last MLB appearance
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| August 31, 1958 for the St. Louis Cardinals | |||
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Career statistics
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| Win–loss record | 119–62 | ||
| Earned run average | 3.15 | ||
| Strikeouts | 862 | ||
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Teams
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Career highlights and awards
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Salvatore Anthony Maglie (April 26, 1917 – December 28, 1992) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. He played from 1945 to 1958 for the New York Giants, Cleveland Indians, Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Yankees, and St. Louis Cardinals. Maglie was known as "Sal the Barber", because he gave close shaves—that is, pitched inside to hitters.[1] Coincidentally, he also sported a five o'clock shadow look. He also had the distinction of being one of the few players, and only pitcher, to play for all three New York City baseball teams. During a 10-year major league baseball career, Maglie compiled 119 wins, 862 strikeouts, and an 3.15 earned run average.
Early career[edit]
Maglie broke into the major leagues with the Giants in 1945, but jumped to the Mexican League prior to the 1946 season. For this, Maglie was banned from organized baseball by Commissioner Happy Chandler, and Maglie was unable to return to the Giants until 1950. The ban had been lifted in 1949, but Maglie chose to remain with the Drummondville Cubs, with whom he was playing at the time, and for whom he was making more money than he did with the Giants.[2]
The Major Leagues[edit]
After his return, Maglie was integral to the success of the New York Giant teams of the early 1950s. After a stint with Cleveland, Maglie was purchased by the Dodgers in May 1956. Maglie had a sterling comeback season for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1956 (who won the NL pennant by one game over the Milwaukee Braves and two games over the Cincinnati Reds), going 13–5 with 2.89 ERA, tossing a no-hitter on September 25. He finished second to Don Newcombe in the first balloting for the Cy Young Award, and was also second to Newcombe in MVP balloting. He was the Dodgers' pitcher opposing Don Larsen of the Yankees in the latter's famous perfect game of the 1956 World Series.
After one year (1959) as a scout for the Cardinals, and two terms (1960–62; 1966–67) as pitching coach of the Boston Red Sox, Maglie took a similar post for the expansion Seattle Pilots in 1969. He was profiled unflatteringly in Jim Bouton's book Ball Four, despite the fact that he was a boyhood hero of Bouton. Bouton commented that Maglie rarely gave useful advice to the pitchers, and frequently second-guessed their choice of pitches, often contradicting his previous second guessing.
However, Hall of Fame pitcher Don Drysdale credited Maglie with teaching him to pitch inside, for which he would be noted. Jim Lonborg, AL Cy Young Award winner in 1967, also learned to brush hitters back under instruction from Maglie.[citation needed]
Later Years[edit]
The book Carl Erskine's Tales from the Dodgers Dugout: Extra Innings (2004) includes short stories from former Dodger pitcher Carl Erskine. Maglie is prominent in many of these stories.
During the 1950s, Maglie lived in Riverdale, The Bronx.[3]
Maglie died in 1992 due to complications from pneumonia.
Sal Maglie Stadium, located in Hyde Park in his hometown of Niagara Falls, New York, was named after him in June 1983. The ceremony featured the world's shortest baseball bus excursion. A bus loaded with friends and family of Maglie left the Stadium Grill located about two hundred yards across the street and drove into Sal Maglie Stadium The event was captured in a story done by Bob Koshinski and aired on ESPN.
Sal Maglie Stadium is now the home to the Niagara Purple Eagles college baseball team, Niagara Falls Wolverines (high school baseball), Niagara Catholic Patriots (high school baseball), and Niagara Power of the NYCBL.
See also[edit]
- List of Major League Baseball ERA champions
- List of Major League Baseball wins champions
- List of Major League Baseball no-hitters
References[edit]
- ^ Dickson, Paul (1989). The Dickson Baseball Dictionary. United States: Facts on File. p. 29. ISBN 0816017417.
- ^ SABR article on the 1949 Drummondville Cubs
- ^ Collins, Glenn. " BASEBALL: SUBWAY SERIES; 1956 vs. 2000? It's Deja Vu All Over Again, Except for When It's Not", The New York Times, October 21, 2000. Accessed May 3, 2008. "In 1956, the Dodger legend Pee Wee Reese occupied a modest brick duplex on Barwell Terrace in Bay Ridge, pitcher Sal Maglie lived in Riverdale and many Yankees occupied an apartment hotel on the Grand Concourse in the Bronx."
External links[edit]
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
- Sal Maglie at Find a Grave
| Preceded by Mel Parnell |
No-hitter pitcher September 25, 1956 |
Succeeded by Don Larsen |
| Preceded by Dave Ferriss Mace Brown |
Boston Red Sox pitching coach 1960–1962 1966–1967 |
Succeeded by Harry Dorish Darrell Johnson |
| Preceded by Franchise established |
Seattle Pilots pitching coach 1969 |
Succeeded by Wes Stock (with successor franchise Milwaukee Brewers) |
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