Daniel Vincent Frisella (March 4, 1946 – January 1, 1977) 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), ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

whose career was cut short when he was killed in a dune buggy accident on

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Early years

Born in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, Frisella was the son of a

firefighter A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions also ...

, and graduated from Serra High School in San Mateo in . Frisella spent one year at the

College of San Mateo College of San Mateo (CSM) is a public community college in San Mateo, California. It is part of the San Mateo County Community College District. College of San Mateo is located at the northern corridor of Silicon Valley and situated on a 15 ...

before transferring to

Washington State University Washington State University (Washington State, WSU, or informally Wazzu) is a public land-grant research university with its flagship, and oldest, campus in Pullman, Washington. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest land-grant unive ...

in Pullman. After leading the

Cougars The cougar (''Puma concolor'') is a large cat native to the Americas. Its range spans from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes in South America and is the most widespread of any large wild terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere. I ...

to the

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1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...

and being named to the All-Conference team, he was selected by the

Milwaukee Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bost ...

in the 39th round of the

1965 Major League Baseball Draft The 1965 Major League Baseball Draft is the first year in which a draft took place for Major League Baseball. It was held on June 8–9 in New York City. In Major League Baseball's first Free Agent Amateur Draft, the Kansas City Athletics selec ...

, but did not sign. In , he was again named All-Conference, and led WSU to the District VIII Regional finals. After which, he was drafted by the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

in the third round of the June Secondary draft, and signed.

Minor league career

Frisella went 5-4 with a 2.96

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 ...

mostly as a

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

with the Auburn Mets of the

New York–Penn League The New York–Penn League (NYPL) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the northeastern United States from 1939 to 2020. Classified as a Class A Short Season league, its season started in June, after major-league teams signed th ...

in . He began the season in the

Carolina League The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...

with the

Durham Bulls The Durham Bulls are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Durham, North Carolina, and play their home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which opened in ...

, where he went 9-3 with a 1.49 ERA in thirteen starts to earn a promotion all the way up to triple A. He began seeing more work as a

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue (medical), fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection (sports), ejection, or for other strategic ...

with the

Jacksonville Suns The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in Jacksonville, Florida, and are named for shrimp caught in the area. The team pla ...

, and was added to the major league

bullpen In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if t ...

by the end of July. After three relief appearances (8 innings pitched, no earned runs) for

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

Wes Westrum Wes or WES may refer to: * Westmorland, county in England, Chapman code __NOTOC__ People and fictional characters * Wes (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Wes Madiko (1964–2021), Cameroonian musi ...

, Frisella was added to the Mets' starting rotation. He was 1-6 in his eleven starts with a 3.82 ERA. His one win came against the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

on August 11. In a no-decision against the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...

. Frisella allowed just two

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over nine

inning In baseball, softball, and similar games, an inning is the basic unit of play, consisting of two halves or frames, the "top" (first half) and the "bottom" (second half). In each half, one team bats until three outs are made, with the other team ...

s while striking out seven. Frisella spent the next two seasons shuffling from the minor leagues to the majors, compiling a 2-4 record and 4.28 ERA in 22 games at the major league level, and 15-4 record and 2.65 ERA in the minors.

Major league career

New York Mets

Following the season, Frisella played winter ball in

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

. Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Famer

Diego Segui Diego is a Spanish masculine given name. The Portuguese equivalent is Diogo. The name also has several patronymic derivations, listed below. The etymology of Diego is disputed, with two major origin hypotheses: ''Tiago'' and ''Didacus''. E ...

, who was a forkball specialist, taught Frisella the pitch. It turned out to be Frisella's out pitch for the rest of his career, as it had such impressive movement on it that he was often accused of throwing a spitter. After starting the season in Triple A, Frisella joined the Mets in the beginning of July. He earned his first career save in his first appearance of the season, and his record stood at 4-0 with a 1.88 ERA at the end of the month. He ended the season with an 8-3 record, 3.02 ERA and 54

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 in 65.2

innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one innin ...

. Opposing batters batted just .204 against him. Despite missing half the season, his 29 relief appearances were third most on the team. In , Frisella and

Tug McGraw Frank Edwin "Tug" McGraw Jr. (August 30, 1944 – January 5, 2004) was an American professional baseball relief pitcher and long-time Major League Baseball (MLB) player, often remembered for coining the phrase "Ya Gotta Believe", which became th ...

formed a devastating righty/lefty tandem closing out Mets games. Following three innings of scoreless ball pitched on the 4th of July, Frisella saw his ERA hit a season low of 1.37. He ended the season at 8-5 with a 1.99 ERA and a team leading twelve saves. After going 5–8 with a 3.34 ERA and nine saves, Frisella was traded along with

Gary Gentry Gary Edward Gentry (born October 6, 1946 in Phoenix, Arizona), is a former right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher. Early years Gentry was a second baseman at Camelback High School in Phoenix, Arizona, and only began pitching while at Phoenix ...

from the Mets to the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

for

Félix Millán Félix Bernardo Millán Martínez (born August 21, 1943) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball second baseman, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets. He holds one of the best at-bat to str ...

and George Stone on November 1, .

Atlanta Braves

Frisella developed arm trouble during spring training , and dealt with nagging health issues throughout the season. While he led the team with eight saves, Frisella had nine blown saves. The second of these came against his former club in his first game back at

Shea Stadium Shea Stadium (), formally known as William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, Queens, New York City.earned run In baseball, an earned run is any run that was fully enabled by the offensive team's production in the face of competent play from the defensive team. Conversely, an unearned run is a run that would not have been scored without the aid of an err ...

s of his own, while retiring just two batters. His role diminished substantially in . After logging five saves through June, poor performance and injury limited him to just one over the remainder of the season. His last game as a Brave was also his only start for the team. Against the Mets at Shea, he went four innings, and gave up four earned runs in a no-decision. At the winter meetings after the season, the Braves sent Frisella to the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

to reacquire

Cito Gaston Clarence Edwin "Cito" Gaston (; born March 17, 1944) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and manager. His major league career as a player lasted from 1967 to 1978, most notably with the San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves. He spent his en ...

San Diego Padres

Frisella enjoyed something of a resurgence in

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. Despite a 1-6 record, he pitched a career high 97.2 innings in a career high 65 appearances to go along with a 3.13 ERA. He and

Bill Greif William Briley Greif (born April 25, 1950) is a retired professional baseball pitcher. He played all or part of six seasons in Major League Baseball, from 1971 to 1976, for the Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, and St. Louis Cardinals. Astros G ...

, both right handers, shared closing duties, with each recording nine saves. During spring training , Frisella was dealt to 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 ha ...

for lefty pitcher

Ken Reynolds Kenneth Lee Reynolds (born January 4, 1947) is an American former professional baseball player who had a six-year career in Major League Baseball between and . The left-handed pitcher appeared in 103 games for the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Loui ...

and minor leaguer Bob Stewart.

Cardinals & Brewers

With

Al Hrabosky Alan Thomas Hrabosky (; born July 21, 1949) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1970 to 1982 for the St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals, and Atlanta Braves. As of 2022, he is the ...

already in their bullpen, the Cards had no need for a closer. Thus, Frisella became more of a right handed specialist for the Cardinals. He did well in that role, holding opposing batters to a .190

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

, and compiling a 1.45 ERA. Two poor performances against Cincinnati's "

Big Red Machine The Big Red Machine is a nickname for the Cincinnati Reds baseball team that dominated the National League from 1970 to 1979 and is widely recognized as being among the best in baseball history. The team won six National League West Division titl ...

" saw his ERA balloon to 3.97 before he was sent to the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

for a

player to be named later In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...

midway through the season. In his half season with the Brewers, he became manager

Alex Grammas Alexander Peter Grammas (April 3, 1926 – September 13, 2019) was an American professional baseball infielder, manager and coach. A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Grammas played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinn ...

' favorite right hander out of the bullpen. He pitched 3.1 innings of one-hit ball against the

California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

to earn his first save with his new team, on his way to a team leading nine. He went 5-2 with a 2.74 ERA while holding batters to a .175 batting average.

MLB career statistics

{, class=wikitable style="text-align:center" , W , L , Pct ,

ERA An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Comp ...

, G , GS , GF , S , IP , H , ER , R , HR , BB , K , WP , HBP , BAA , Fld% , Avg. , - , 34 , 40 , , 3.32 , 351 , 17 , 215 , 57 , 609.1 , 529 , 225 , 256 , 53 , 286 , 471 , 38 , 7 , .235 , .955 , .179

Personal life

Frisella died on January 1, 1977, the result of a dune buggy accident. His friend, who was driving the dune buggy, escaped with only minor injuries. The accident occurred about from Frisella's home when his friend lost control of the dune buggy, causing it to overturn. Frisella tried to jump from the vehicle as it began to flip, but he was unable to free his leg from the dune buggy and his head was struck by the roll bar. Frisella was survived by his wife, Pamela, and two sons. Pamela was pregnant with the couple's second son at the time of Frisella's death; he was born on March 4, on what would have been Frisella's 31st birthday. Frisella served with the

Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the ter ...

during his minor league career.

References

External links

, o
Baseball Almanac
o
Baseball Gauge
o
Estadisticas Beisbol profesional Venezolano (Venezuelan Professional Baseball League)
o
Ultimate Mets DatabaseSABR BioProject
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Frisella, Danny 1946 births 1977 deaths Accidental deaths in Arizona Atlanta Braves players Auburn Mets players Baseball players from California Durham Bulls players Florida Instructional League Mets players Jacksonville Suns players Leones del Caracas players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Major League Baseball pitchers Milwaukee Brewers players New York Mets players Pompano Beach Mets players Road incident deaths in Arizona St. Louis Cardinals players San Diego Padres players Tidewater Tides players Washington State Cougars baseball players Washington State University alumni Junípero Serra High School (San Mateo, California) alumni Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks players