Francis Ralph Quilici (May 11, 1939 – May 14, 2018) was an American
professional baseball
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Modern professional ...
player
Player may refer to:
Role or adjective
* Player (game), a participant in a game or sport
** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games
** Athlete, a player in sports
** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who ...
,
coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Co ...
and
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 ...
who spent his entire
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), ...
career with the
Minnesota Twins. Quilici served the team for all or part of five years as an
infielder, 1
years as a coach, and 3
years as manager, then spent six more years as a broadcaster for them. He threw and batted
right-handed
In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...
, stood tall and weighed .
Playing career
Quilici was born in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
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, subdivision_name ...
, where he graduated from
St. Mel High School. He attended
Loras College
Loras College is a private Catholic college in Dubuque, Iowa. It has an enrollment of approximately 1,600 students and is the oldest post-secondary institution in the state of Iowa. The school offers both undergraduate and graduate degree ...
and
Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. Bliss for the training of teachers ...
. In 1961, he signed with the Twins during their first year in
Minneapolis–Saint Paul
Minneapolis–Saint Paul is a metropolitan area in the Upper Midwestern United States centered around the confluence of the Mississippi, Minnesota and St. Croix rivers in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is commonly known as the Twin Cities ...
after they transferred from
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
. Upon entering the Twins'
farm system, he rose from Class D to
Triple-A over the next 4
seasons and was
batting Batting may refer to:
* Batting (baseball), the act of attempting to hit a ball thrown by the pitcher with a baseball bat, in order to score runs
* Batting (cricket), the act of defending one's wicket with the cricket bat while attempting to score ...
.277 with the
Denver Bears
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the United ...
when the
pennant-bound 1965 Twins called him to the majors in July. With veteran incumbent
second baseman Jerry Kindall
Gerald Donald Kindall (May 27, 1935 – December 24, 2017) was an American professional baseball player and college baseball player and coach. He was primarily a second baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB) who appeared in 742 games played over ...
suffering from a chronic
hamstring
In human anatomy, a hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in between the hip and the knee (from medial to lateral: semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris). The hamstrings are susceptible to injury.
In quadrupe ...
injury, Quilici quickly assumed a key role in the Minnesota lineup, starting 39 games at second base during the season's final ten weeks.
Then, in the
1965 World Series
The 1965 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1965 season. The 62nd edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff that matched the National League champion Los Angeles Dodgers against the Amer ...
, Quilici started all seven games against the
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
and collected four
hits (with two
doubles) in 20
at bats
In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...
and a
run batted in
A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...
. One of his doubles touched off a
six-run,
third inning rally against eventual
Baseball Hall of Famer
Don Drysdale in Game 1. When the Twins batted around in that frame, Quilici came to the plate again and chased Drysdale with a
single. His two hits in one inning tied a record and sparked an 8–2 Minnesota victory. In the field, Quilici played every inning of all seven games, making two
errors in 36
chances for a .944
fielding percentage. But the Twins succumbed to another future Hall of Famer,
Sandy Koufax
Sanford Koufax (; born Sanford Braun; December 30, 1935) is an American former left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played his entire career for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers from 1955 to 1966. He has been hailed as one of t ...
, in Game 7, 2–0, to lose the series. Quilici had a double in three at bats in that final contest against the Dodger southpaw.
The following year, , was a setback for Quilici. He spent the entire season at Triple-A Denver, as the Twins alternated
Bernie Allen
: ''This is about the baseball player. For the musical project of Travis McCoy called Bernie Allen, see Bernie Allen (band).''
Bernard Keith Allen (born April 16, 1939) is a former Major League Baseball player for the Minnesota Twins, Washin ...
and
César Tovar
César Leonardo Tovar (July 3, 1940 – July 14, 1994), nicknamed "Pepito" and "Mr. Versatility", was a Venezuelan professional baseball player, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins (–), Philadelphia Phillies (), ...
as their regular second basemen. When Quilici returned to Minnesota in it was as a
utility infielder
In baseball, a utility player is a player who typically does not have the offensive abilities to justify a regular starting role on the team but is capable of playing more than one defensive position. These players are able to give the various s ...
: standout
rookie
A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year).
In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...
Rod Carew
Rodney Cline Carew (born October 1, 1945) is a Panamanian former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a first baseman, second baseman and designated hitter from 1967 to 1985 for the Minnesota Twins ...
, yet another future Hall of Famer, won the Twins' second base job and would hold it for the next eight seasons. Quilici spent all of , and on the Twins' roster, playing in an average of 109
games each year, mostly at second base,
third base
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...
and
shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...
, batting a career-high .245 in 1968. As a player, Quilici
batted .214 in 405 games played; his 146 MLB hits included 23 doubles, six
triples and with five
home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
s. He collected 53
runs batted in
A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the ba ...
.
Coach, manager and broadcaster
During the 1970–1971 offseason, a vacancy opened on manager
Bill Rigney
William Joseph Rigney (January 29, 1918 – February 20, 2001) was an American infielder and manager in Major League Baseball. A 26-year big-league veteran, Rigney played for the New York Giants from to , then spent 18 seasons as the skipper o ...
's coaching staff when
Sherry Robertson was killed in an automobile accident. Looking to save a roster spot, but retain Quilici as potential insurance in case one of their infielders were injured,
[King, Norm, ''Frank Quilici.''](_blank)
Society for American Baseball Research
The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) is a membership organization dedicated to fostering the research and dissemination of the history and record of baseball primarily through the use of statistics. Established in Cooperstown, New ...
Biography Project the Twins named the 31-year-old to fill Robertson's slot as the club's fifth coach. Quilici never returned to the active list, and the arrangement lasted for all of and into .
With team owner
Calvin Griffith seeking to shake up his 36–34 Twins which was trailing the eventual
World Series champion Oakland Athletics by 9
games in third place in the
American League West
The American League West is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. The division has five teams as of the 2013 season, but had four teams from 1994 to 2012, and had as many as seven teams before the 1994 realignment. Although its teams curr ...
, Quilici was promoted to replace Rigney as manager on July 6, 1972. Age 33 at the time of his appointment, he was the youngest pilot in the major leagues that season and throughout his managerial term. The Twins went 41–43 under Quilici in
1972
Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using mean solar tim ...
in the first of three straight third-place finishes, which included 81–81 in
1973
Events January
* January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union.
* January 15 – Vietnam War: ...
and 82–80 in
1974. When the club fell to fourth place with a 76–83 record in
1975
It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe.
Events
January
* January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
, Quilici was fired after a season-ending 6–4 loss to the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...
at
Metropolitan Stadium
Metropolitan Stadium (often referred to as "the Met", "Met Stadium", or now "the Old Met" to distinguish from the Metrodome) was an outdoor sports stadium in the north central United States, located in Bloomington, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneap ...
on September 28. He was replaced by
Gene Mauch two months later on November 24. His record as Minnesota's manager was 280–287 (
.494).
He remained associated with the Twins, however, as a radio commentator on the team's broadcasts in 1976–1977, 1980–1982 and 1987.
Outside of baseball he was active in business and charitable activities in the
Twin Cities
Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in sta ...
region.
Frank Quilici died on May 14, 2018 at the age of 79 in
Burnsville, Minnesota
Burnsville () is a city south of downtown Minneapolis in Dakota County, Minnesota. The city lies on a bluff overlooking the south bank of the Minnesota River upstream from its confluence with the Mississippi River. Burnsville and nearby subu ...
, after suffering from
kidney disease.
Frank Quilici, former Twins player, manager and broadcaster, passes away at 79
ESPN Radio, May 14, 2018
References
External links
•
Interview with Frank Quilici
about the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association programs benefitting children, ''All About Kids! TV Series'' #212 (1995)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Quilici, Frank
1939 births
2018 deaths
All-American college baseball players
Baseball players from Chicago
Charlotte Hornets (baseball) players
Deaths from kidney disease
Denver Bears players
Erie Sailors players
Major League Baseball bench coaches
Major League Baseball broadcasters
Major League Baseball infielders
Major League Baseball second basemen
Minnesota Twins announcers
Minnesota Twins coaches
Minnesota Twins managers
Minnesota Twins players
Sportspeople from Chicago
Western Michigan Broncos baseball players
Wilson Tobs players
Wytheville Twins players