Melvin Leonard "Mike" Mazzera (January 31, 1914December 17, 1997) was an American professional baseball player. In an 11-year career, Mazzera participated in five Major League seasons: four with the St. Louis Browns and one with the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

. He was officially listed as standing and weighing .

Biography

Early life

Mazzera was born "Melvin Leonard Mazzera" on January 31, 1914, in

Stockton, California Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County, California, San Joaquin County in the Central Valley (California), Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. Stockton was founded by Carlos Maria Weber in 1849 after he acquir ...

Career

In 1933, Mazzera began his professional baseball career playing for the C-level

San Antonio Missions The San Antonio Missions are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. They are located in San Antonio, Texas, and are named for the Spanish missions around which the city was founded. ...

. That year, Mazzera also played for the

Baton Rouge Solons Baton may refer to: Stick-like objects *Baton, a type of club *Baton (law enforcement) *Baston (weapon), a type of baton used in Arnis and Filipino Martial Arts *Baton charge, a coordinated tactic for dispersing crowds of people *Baton (conductin ...

of the Dixie League, recording a combined batting average of .320 in 124

games played Games played (GP) is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated (in any capacity); the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested. Basebal ...

. Mazzera continued his minor-league career in 1934, playing for both the

Palestine Pals The Palestine Pals were a minor league baseball team that played on-and-off from 1925 to 1940. The team played in the Texas Association (1925–1926), Lone Star League (1927–1929), West Dixie League (1934–1935) and East Texas League (1936–19 ...

Palestine, Texas Palestine ( ) is a city in and the seat of Anderson County in the U.S. state of Texas. It was named for Palestine, Illinois, by preacher Daniel Parker, who had migrated from that town. The city had a 2020 U.S. census population of 18,544, mak ...

, and the San Antonio Missions. In 1935, Mazzera participated in 154 games for the San Antonio Missions while making his Major League debut for the St. Louis Browns on September 9, 1935. For his debut, Mazzera replaced Ed Coleman as a

pinch runner In baseball, a pinch runner is a player substituted for the specific purpose of replacing another player on base. The pinch runner may be faster or otherwise more skilled at base-running than the player for whom the pinch runner has been sub ...

. Mazzera spent the entire 1936 season and the majority of the 1937 season with the San Antonio Missions, recording 96 hits, 13

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 ...

s, and four home runs for the Missions in 1936 while recording 134 hits and nine home runs for them in 1937. Mazzera's 1938 season was spent with the St. Louis Browns. In 86 games played, Mazzera batted for a .279 average with six home runs and twenty-five

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, helping the Browns to finish seventh in the American League with a 55-97 record. Mazzera played in 33 games for the Browns, but also played for the

double-A affiliate, the Toronto Maple Leafs, later that season. Mazzera made his Philies debut in 1940, playing in 69 games for the Phillies. In his only season as a Phillie, Mazzera recorded a .237 batting average with fifteen strikeouts, nineteen walks, and thirteen runs batted in. In 1940, Mazzera was signed by the San Diego Padres of the

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 ...

. Mazzera played for the Padres in the 1941, 1942, and 1944 seasons. In 1942, Mazzera led the Padres in home runs, runs batted in, doubles, and

triples TripleS (stylized as tripleS; Help:IPA/English, /ˈtɹɪpəl:ɛs/; ) is a South Korean girl group formed by MODHAUS. They aim to be the world's first decentralized K-pop idol group. The members will rotate between the group, sub-unit, and solo ac ...

, leading to the observance of a "Mel Mazzera Day" on August 30, 1942.

After baseball

Mazzera died on December 17, 1997, in

, and was buried in San Joaquin Cemetery in Stockton.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mazzera, Mel 1914 births 1997 deaths Major League Baseball outfielders Baseball players from Stockton, California Philadelphia Phillies players Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) players San Antonio Missions players