Alva Warren Cicotte (; December 23, 1929 – November 29, 1982), nicknamed "Bozo", was a

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) player. Cicotte pitched in 102 MLB games, 16 as a starter, and compiled a record of 10–13. In 260 innings pitched, Cicotte had an earned run average of 4.36. Originally signed by the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

in 1948, he played in their minor league system for the following decade before making his major league debut on April 22, 1957. He pitched in 20 games for the Yankees and had a 2–2 record and a 3.03

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA). He spent the next two seasons with the Washington Senators (1958),

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

(1958), and

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

(1959) He spent 1960 in the minor leagues, where he pitched an 11-inning no-hitter for the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

against the

Montreal Royals The Montreal Royals were a minor league professional baseball team in Montreal, Quebec, during 1897–1917 and 1928–1960. A member of the International League, the Royals were the top farm club (Class AAA) of the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1939; pi ...

on September 3, 1960. He walked four batters, three of them in the first inning, and retired 29 men in a row until infielder

Sparky Anderson George Lee "Sparky" Anderson (February 22, 1934 – November 4, 2010) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) player, coach, and manager. He managed the National League's Cincinnati Reds to the 1975 and 1976 championships, then added a third t ...

bobbled a ball in the 11th. For the year, he had a 16–7 record, a 1.79 ERA, and 158

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...

s, winning the International League Triple Crown. He finished his career with the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals hav ...

in 1961 and the

Houston Colt .45's The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

in 1962. Cicotte went into the insurance business after retiring. He signed with the Detroit Tigers in 1977 for one month in order to be eligible for an MLB pension. He died in 1982 at age 52 in

Westland, Michigan Westland is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located about west of downtown Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 84,094. It is the 10th largest city and 12th largest municipality in Mich ...

. He was a great-nephew of

Eddie Cicotte Edward Victor Cicotte (; June 19, 1884 – May 5, 1969), nicknamed "Knuckles", was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball best known for his time with the Chicago White Sox. He was one of eight players permanently ineligible f ...

, who was one of the "Black Sox" banned from baseball for their alleged involvement in fixing the

1919 World Series The 1919 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball for the 1919 season. The 16th edition of the World Series, it matched the American League champion Chicago White Sox against the National League champion Cincinnati Reds. ...

References

External links

1959 Baseball Card
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cicotte, Al 1929 births 1982 deaths American expatriate baseball players in Canada American people of French-Canadian descent Baseball players from Michigan Binghamton Triplets players Birmingham Barons players Butler Yankees players Charleston Senators players Cleveland Indians players Denver Bears players Detroit Tigers players Houston Colt .45s players Kansas City Blues (baseball) players Major League Baseball pitchers Marianao players New York Yankees players Norfolk Tars players Oklahoma City 89ers players People from Melvindale, Michigan Richmond Virginians (minor league) players Sacramento Solons players St. Louis Cardinals players Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) players Washington Senators (1901–1960) players American expatriate baseball players in Cuba 20th-century African-American sportspeople