Marion John Fricano (July 15, 1923 – May 18, 1976) was an American

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 ...

. He is likely remembered for throwing the pitch that ended

Cass Michaels Cass Michaels (Casimir Eugene Kwietniewski; March 4, 1926 – November 12, 1982) was a Major League Baseball infielder. He joined the Chicago White Sox at just seventeen years old, and played twelve seasons in the majors until a beanball ended h ...

' career on August 27, .

U.S. Navy

The ,

right-hander 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 ...

was born in Brant, New York, and raised in nearby North Collins. He briefly attended

Cortland State University Cortland may refer to: Places In space * 27776 Cortland, an asteroid United States * Cortland, Illinois, a town * Cortland, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Cortland, Nebraska, a village * Cortland, New York, a city * Cortland, Ohio, a c ...

before enlisting in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

, and serving as a radio operator in the Amphibious Unit during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. After the war, Fricano signed with the

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association (19th century), American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the ...

and began his

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 baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

career at age 23 in .

Early years

Fricano spent five seasons in the Dodgers'

farm system In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...

, compiling a 66–33 record and 3.24

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 ...

when his contract was purchased by the

Philadelphia Athletics The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, the team became the Oaklan ...

early in the season. He went 17–8 with a 2.26 ERA for the Triple-A

Ottawa A's The Ottawa Athletics (also known as the Ottawa A's) were a professional minor-league baseball team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, that operated from 1952 to 1954. The team played at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa and was a member of the Triple-A In ...

to earn a call up to Philadelphia that September. Fricano made two appearances out of the

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 ...

, pitching a total of five innings, and allowing just one

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 erro ...

. He earned his first major league win against the

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 ...

on September 12.

Philadelphia Athletics

The following Spring, Fricano impressed A's

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 ...

Jimmy Dykes James Joseph Dykes (November 10, 1896 – June 15, 1976) was an American professional baseball player, coach and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a third and second baseman from through , most notably as a member of the Philadelph ...

enough to earn himself a bullpen job for the start of the season. He made five

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 the ...

appearances (all in losses) before making his first

start Start can refer to multiple topics: *Takeoff, the phase of flight where an aircraft transitions from moving along the ground to flying through the air * Starting lineup in sports *Standing start, and rolling start, in an auto race Acronyms *St ...

in the second game of a May 22 doubleheader with the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

. After surrendering a first inning

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 ...

Hoot Evers Walter Arthur "Hoot" Evers (February 8, 1921 – January 25, 1991) was an American baseball outfielder, scout, coach, and executive. Evers played professional baseball from 1941 to 1942 and 1946 to 1956, including 12 seasons in Major League Bas ...

, Fricano held the Sox scoreless. The score was tied at one when Fricano led off the eighth 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 * Th ...

, then stole third. He came around to score the go-ahead run on Eddie Robinson's

sacrifice fly In baseball, a sacrifice fly (sometimes abbreviated to sac fly) is defined by Rule 9.08(d): "Score a sacrifice fly when, before two are out, the batter hits a ball in flight handled by an outfielder or an infielder running in the outfield in fair o ...

. The lead, however, did not last, as the A's bullpen allowed a ninth inning run to send the game into

extra innings Extra innings is the extension of a baseball or softball game in order to break a tie. Ordinarily, a baseball game consists of nine regulation innings (in softball and high school baseball games there are typically seven innings; in Little Lea ...

. He was even better in his second start, also against the Red Sox. Fricano allowed one run, a solo home run by

center fielder A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball and softball fielding position between left field and right field. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the c ...

Tom Umphlett Thomas Mullen Umphlett (May 12, 1930 – September 21, 2012) was a center and right fielder in Major League Baseball who played from to with the Boston Red Sox and Washington Senators. His 21-year professional baseball career as a player and m ...

in the ninth inning, on his way to the

complete game In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...

victory. His heroics with the bat also continued. His second inning

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

drove (coincidentally) Cass Michaels home with the A's second run of the game. The 1953 A's finished seventh of eight

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

teams in runs scored (only the

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they p ...

were worse) on their way to 95 losses. Hence, Fricano's 9–12 record is not indicative of how well he pitched. His 3.88 ERA was tops on his team, he was second on the Athletics' staff (and ninth overall in the A.L.) in

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 ...

(211), and pitched ten

s. Fricano's fortunes reversed in 1954. After losing his first start of the season, he was moved into the bullpen. He ended up splitting his time fairly evenly between starts and relief appearances. Facing the Washington Senators on August 23, he was cruising along, having allowed just one

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

into the fifth inning. After a two out

walk Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an ' inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults ...

Eddie Yost Edward Frederick Joseph Yost (October 13, 1926 – October 16, 2012) was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played most of his Major League Baseball career as a third baseman for the Washington Senators, then played two ...

the Senators followed with three consecutive singles to take a 3–1 lead. He ended up losing the game, and seeing his record fall to 5–9, and his ERA rise to 5.17.

$150 fine

Fricano hoped to bounce back in his next start, against 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 p ...

, but was again the victim of one big inning.

Jim Rivera Manuel Joseph "Jim" Rivera (July 22, 1921 – November 13, 2017) was an American professional baseball outfielder. He played for three Major League Baseball (MLB) teams over ten seasons: St. Louis Browns (1952), Chicago White Sox (1952–1961), a ...

hit a bases clearing

triple Triple is used in several contexts to mean "threefold" or a " treble": Sports * Triple (baseball), a three-base hit * A basketball three-point field goal * A figure skating jump with three rotations * In bowling terms, three strikes in a row * ...

to give the Chisox a 5–0 lead in the third inning when Cass Michaels stepped to the plate. The first pitch out of Fricano's hand nailed Michaels in the temple. Michaels was hospitalized after the pitch, and his season was ended. He tried to come back the following spring, but after collapsing during

Spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

, called it a career at just 28 years old. After surrendering a home run to the following batter,

Johnny Groth John Thomas Groth (July 23, 1926August 7, 2021) was an American professional baseball outfielder and scout who played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played with the Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Browns, Chicago White Sox, Washingt ...

, which brought the score to 8–0, manager

Eddie Joost Edwin David Joost (June 5, 1916April 12, 2011) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played as a shortstop in Major League Baseball for all or portions of 17 seasons between 1936 and 1955. In , Joost became the third and l ...

pulled him from the game. Fricano made his next appearance out of the bullpen, and hit opposing pitcher

Steve Gromek Stephen Joseph Gromek (January 15, 1920 – March 12, 2002) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for 17 seasons in the American League with the Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers. In 447 career games, Gromek ...

of the

. Gromek, who hit A's batter Bill Wilson in the fourth inning, and had a reputation as a head hunter himself (12 hit batsmen in 1954), charged the mound. Both players were ejected from the game, and fined by the league.

Last hurler in Philadelphia's American League history

In , Fricano had far more success as a reliever than starter. He went 4–11 with a 6.13 ERA as a starter, but was 1–0 with two saves and a 2.72 ERA out of the bullpen. On Sunday, September 26, 1954, the closing day of the Athletics' nightmarish, 103-loss campaign, Fricano took the mound 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 origi ...

in he sixth

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 ...

in relief of

Art Ditmar Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...

; the bases were loaded, with one out, and Philadelphia was clinging to a 6–4 lead. Fricano proceeded to throw a

wild pitch In baseball, a wild pitch (WP) is charged against a pitcher when his pitch is too high, too short, or too wide of home plate for the catcher to control with ordinary effort, thereby allowing a baserunner, or the batter (on an uncaught third stri ...

, bringing the Yankees to within a run. He then issued an

intentional walk In baseball, an intentional base on balls, usually referred to as an intentional walk and denoted in baseball scorekeeping by ''IBB'', is a walk issued to a batter by a pitcher with the intent of removing the batter's opportunity to swing at the ...

Mickey Mantle Mickey Charles Mantle (October 20, 1931 – August 13, 1995), nicknamed "the Commerce Comet" and "the Mick", was an American professional baseball player. Mantle played his entire Major League Baseball (MLB) career (1951–1968) with the New York ...

to re-load the bases, but set up a

double play In baseball and softball, a double play (denoted as DP in baseball statistics) is the act of making two outs during the same continuous play. Double plays can occur any time there is at least one baserunner and fewer than two outs. In Major Leag ...

. Facing another

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...

Yogi Berra Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra (May 12, 1925 – September 22, 2015) was an American professional baseball catcher who later took on the roles of Manager (baseball), manager and Coach (baseball), coach. He played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball ...

, Fricano induced Berra to bounce into a 3–6–3 twin-killing to end the inning and preserve the Athletics' lead. Philadelphia went on to win the contest, 8–6, with Fricano going the distance and getting credit for a save. The contest turned out to be the cash-starved Athletics' last in Philadelphia's 54-year-old American League history. A complicated process that included an 11th-hour bid by Philadelphia interests to buy the Athletics ultimately saw

Connie Mack Cornelius McGillicuddy (December 22, 1862 – February 8, 1956), better known as Connie Mack, was an American professional baseball catcher, manager, and team owner. The longest-serving manager in Major League Baseball history, he holds untoucha ...

's legendary franchise sold to industrialist Arnold Johnson and moved to

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

, in the autumn of 1954. In , the A's found themselves in a new city with a new manager. Kansas City skipper Lou Boudreau used Fricano strictly out of the bullpen. His success as a reliever continued, however, Boudreau seemed to lack faith in Fricano. Despite a 0.82 ERA, Fricano had only been used in lopsided losses. Facing 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 ...

on July 23, Fricano allowed two inherited runners to score, but did not allow an

of his own to bring his ERA to a season low of 0.77. He pitched again three days later; this time he was hit hard by the Washington Senators.

Roy Sievers Roy Edward Sievers (November 18, 1926 – April 3, 2017) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a first baseman and left fielder from through . A five-time All-Star, Sievers was the American L ...

led off with a home run. This was followed by a triple, double and single, as the Senators completed a reversed natural cycle on their way to scoring four runs in the inning. He pitched one more inning unscathed, however, his ERA now stood at 3.29. He made three more appearances, all in losses, before he was optioned to the Triple-A

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 ...

never to pitch in the major leagues again.

Minor league career

Fricano became a well traveled minor leaguer. After the 1955 season, Fricano and $60,000 were sent to the unaffiliated

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 ...

of 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 ...

for fellow pitcher Jack Crimian. Shortly into the , he was dealt to the Chicago White Sox, and was assigned to their double A

Southern Association The Southern Association was a higher-level minor league in American organized baseball from 1901 through 1961. For most of its existence, the Southern Association was two steps below the Major Leagues; it was graded Class A (1902–1935), Cl ...

affiliate, the

Memphis Chickasaws Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memph ...

. After the 1956 season, he was drafted by the

Seattle Rainiers The Seattle Rainiers, originally named the Seattle Indians and also known as the Seattle Angels, were a Minor League Baseball team in Seattle, Washington (state), Washington, that played in the Pacific Coast League from 1903 to 1906 and 1919 to 19 ...

(

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

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

affiliate) in the minor league draft. During the season, he was dealt to the

Phoenix Giants Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

for

Max Surkont Matthew Constantine Surkont (June 16, 1922 – October 8, 1986) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played from 1949 through 1957 in the Major Leagues. He played for the Chicago White Sox, Boston / Milwaukee Braves, Pittsburgh Pira ...

. From there, he was dealt to the Dallas-Fort Worth Rangers, with whom he would end his career in .

Career statistics

;Major leagues

{, 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 , CG ,

SHO Sho, Shō or SHO may refer to: Music * ''Shō'' (instrument) (笙), a Japanese wind instrument * ''Kane'' (instrument) (鉦), a Japanese percussion instrument * Sho?, a Dubai rock band People * Shō (given name), including ''Sho'' * Shō (su ...

, SV , IP , H , ER , R , HR , BB , K , WP , HBP , Avg. , Fld% , - , 15 , 23 , , 4.32 , 88 , 43 , 14 , 0 , 2 , 387.2 , 393 , 186 , 213 , 40 , 164 , 115 , 8 , 10 , .142 , .949

;Minor leagues Over thirteen minor league seasons, Fricano was 131–91 with a 3.39 ERA in 423 games pitched.

Post playing career

After his baseball career, Fricano returned to North Collins, where he served as

Town Supervisor The administrative divisions of New York are the various units of government that provide local services in the State of New York. The state is divided into boroughs, counties, cities, townships called "towns", and villages. (The only borou ...

from 1962-1973. He earned his master's degree at the

University at Buffalo The State University of New York at Buffalo, commonly called the University at Buffalo (UB) and sometimes called SUNY Buffalo, is a public research university with campuses in Buffalo and Amherst, New York. The university was founded in 1846 ...

. He became a school teacher, and later the recreation director at Gowanda State Hospital. He died from complications due to cancer at age 52 while on vacation in

Tijuana Tijuana ( ,"Tijuana"
(US) and < ...

. The Town of

North Collins, New York North Collins is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 3,523 at the 2010 census. The name is derived from its parent town, Collins. The town of North Collins is in the southern part of the county and is one of the " ...

dedicated The Marion J. Fricano Memorial Town Park in his honor.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fricano, Marion 1923 births 1976 deaths Baseball players from New York (state) Cortland Red Dragons baseball players Dallas Rangers players Deaths from cancer in Mexico Denver Bears players Indianapolis Indians players Johnstown Johnnies players Kansas City Athletics players Major League Baseball pitchers Memphis Chickasaws players Mobile Bears players Nashua Dodgers players Ottawa A's players Sportspeople from Erie County, New York Phoenix Giants players Philadelphia Athletics players Pueblo Dodgers players St. Paul Saints (AA) players Seattle Rainiers players Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) players University at Buffalo alumni Valdosta Dodgers players United States Navy personnel of World War II United States Navy sailors American expatriate baseball players in Panama