Joseph Michael Verbanic (born April 24, 1943) is an American former

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 ...

right-handed

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 ...

, who appeared in 92 career games in

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) for the Philadelphia Phillies and the – and

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

. He was listed as tall and . Verbanic was signed by the Phillies in 1961 after attending

Hopewell High School (Pennsylvania) Hopewell High School is a public high school in Hopewell Township, Beaver County, Pennsylvania, Hopewell Township, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the only high school in the Hopewell Area School District. Athletic teams compete as the Hopewell ...

. After compiling an 8–1 record in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League over the first three months of 1966, he was summoned to Philadelphia to work out of the bullpen. Verbanic appeared in 17 games, all in

relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term '' relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

, split two decisions, and posted an

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) of 5.14. That December he was traded to the Yankees for veteran right-handed pitcher

Pedro Ramos Pedro Ramos Guerra (born April 28, 1935), is a Cuban former professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Senators / Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees, and the expansion Washin ...

. Verbanic began 1967 with Triple-A Syracuse but was recalled to New York in June. Inserted into the Yankees'

starting rotation R rabbit ears :Indicates a participant in the game who hears things perhaps too well for their own good. A player who becomes nervous or chokes when opposing players or fans yell at or razz them is said to have rabbit ears. Also, an umpire ...

, he won his first two games, throwing a complete game

shutout In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

in his second start of the season, against the Washington Senators at

Yankee Stadium Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx, New York City. It is the home field of the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball, and New York City FC of Major League Soccer. Opened in April 2009, the stadium replaced the orig ...

. In that June 8, 1967, contest, Verbanic allowed only four hits and one base on balls, and

struck out 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 denote ...

five. He also went 2-for-3 at the plate, with a

double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * ...

, a sacrifice bunt, and two

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 ...

(RBI). Verbanic finished the year 4–3 and two saves, and a 2.80 earned run average, in 28 games. Verbanic then spent all of 1968 with the Yankees, working in 40 games (29 in relief). In a starting role on September 10, he threw his second and last career complete-game shutout, blanking 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 ...

on five hits, again at Yankee Stadium. For the year, he won six games (losing seven), saved four games, and compiled an ERA of 3.15. But Verbanic then missed all of the season with arm trouble. Verbanic was able to return to the Yankees in early 1970, and notched his final MLB win in relief over the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

on April 19. But he was sent back to Syracuse after May 9, and never again appeared in a major-league game. In his 92 appearances and 207 total innings pitched, he allowed 210 hits and 84 bases on balls with 94 strikeouts. Verbanic had a 12–11 career record with six saves and an earned run average of 3.26. Verbanic rejoined the Phillies' organization in his final pro season, , pitching for Triple-A Eugene, and later settled in that

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

city.

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1943 births Living people Arkansas Travelers players Baseball players from Pennsylvania Eugene Emeralds managers Eugene Emeralds players Major League Baseball pitchers Miami Marlins (FSL) players New York Yankees players People from Washington, Pennsylvania Sportspeople from Washington County, Pennsylvania Philadelphia Phillies players San Diego Padres (minor league) players Syracuse Chiefs players {{US-baseball-pitcher-1940s-stub