Mark Andrew DiFelice (born August 23, 1976) 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 baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

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 ...

. Growing up in

Havertown, Pennsylvania Havertown is a residential suburban unincorporated community in Haverford Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. It is located approximately 9 miles west of the center of Philadelphia. Havertown's ZIP Code is 19083 and "Havertown" is a posta ...

, Mark played for Hilltop Baseball and is currently the only player from that league (established in 1963) to play in the MLB. He played 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

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 ...

. He is currently working as a pitching coach for the Wilmington Blue Rocks.

Minor league career

DiFelice started his professional career as a part of the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...

organization in 1998. He played his first season for their Class A (Short Season) affiliate, the

Portland Rockies The Portland Rockies were a minor league baseball team that played in Portland, Oregon. The Rockies were members of the Class A-Short Season Northwest League for six years, from 1995 through 2000. Prior to relocating to Portland, the franchise pl ...

. In 1999, DiFelice advanced to the Class A-Advanced

Salem Avalanche Salem may refer to: Places Canada Ontario * Bruce County ** Salem, Arran–Elderslie, Ontario, in the municipality of Arran–Elderslie ** Salem, South Bruce, Ontario, in the municipality of South Bruce * Salem, Dufferin County, Ontario, part ...

. In 2000, he played for the Double-A

Carolina Mudcats The Carolina Mudcats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Zebulon, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh, North Carolina, Raleigh, and play their home games a ...

. DiFelice also played part of the 2001 season for Carolina, while also pitching for the Triple-A

Colorado Springs Sky Sox The Colorado Springs Sky Sox were a Minor League Baseball team in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The team played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and was the Triple-A affiliate of the major league Milwaukee Brewers (2015–2018), Colorado Rockie ...

. In 2002, he was sent back down to the Class A (Short Season)

Tri-City Dust Devils The Tri-City Dust Devils are a Minor League Baseball team in the northwest United States, based in Pasco, Washington. The Dust Devils are members of the Northwest League and are affiliated with the Los Angeles Angels. Tri-City plays their home gam ...

and Salem. In 2003, he played for the Rockies' new Double-A affiliate, the

Tulsa Drillers The Tulsa Drillers are a minor league baseball team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club. Stadium The Drillers play at ONEOK Field (pronounc ...

. In 2004, DiFelice switched to 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) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

organization, playing for their Triple-A

Ottawa Lynx The Ottawa Lynx were a Minor League Baseball team that competed in the Triple-A International League (IL) from 1993 to 2007. The team's home field was Lynx Stadium in Ottawa, Ontario. Over 15 seasons, the team was an affiliate of the Montreal ...

. In 2005, DiFelice pitched for the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

with their Triple-A

New Orleans Zephyrs New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

and the independent Atlantic League's

Somerset Patriots The Somerset Patriots are an American Minor League Baseball team based in Bridgewater Township, New Jersey, that is the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They compete in the Eastern League, known as the Double-A Northeast in 2021, and ...

. He stayed with the Atlantic League for 2006, playing for the

Camden Riversharks The Camden Riversharks were an American professional baseball team based in Camden, New Jersey, from 2001 to 2015. They were a member of the Liberty Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which was not at that time affiliat ...

. DiFelice returned to affiliated baseball in 2007, playing for the

' Double-A

Huntsville Stars The Huntsville Stars were a Minor League Baseball team that played in Huntsville, Alabama, from 1985 to 2014. They competed in the Southern League as the Double-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Oakland Athletics from 1985 to 1998 and Mil ...

, and then their Triple-A

Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...

. After his first ten professional seasons, DiFelice had a record of 77–57, with an

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 ...

of 3.53, and had recorded 951

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 ...

Major league career

After starting the 2008 season in Nashville, posting a 3–0 record with a 3.91 ERA, DiFelice's contract was purchased by Milwaukee on May 15, and he made his major league debut three days later, May 18. On June 29, after appearing in 10 games, DiFelice was sent back down to Nashville. He received a call up on September 1, 2008, and he picked up his first major league win in the same month. DiFelice spent the whole 2009 season in the big leagues. He finished with a 4–1 record with 51.2 innings pitched and a 3.66 ERA. Following the 2009 season, DiFelice underwent shoulder surgery, which sidelined him for the entire 2010 season. He signed a minor league contract with an invitation to 2011 spring training while pitching in the fall instructional league. On June 18, 2011, DiFelice had his contract purchased by the Brewers. He made it back to the major leagues only to have his shoulder give out again, requiring a 3rd surgery and ending his 2011 season. In 2012, DiFelice signed with an Italian team.

Coaching career

DiFelice was named as the pitching coach for the

Wilmington Blue Rocks The Wilmington Blue Rocks are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Wilmington, Delaware, and play their home games at Daniel S. Frawley Stadium. ...

in the

organization.

World Baseball Classic

DiFelice was selected as a pitcher for the Italian national team in the 2009

World Baseball Classic The World Baseball Classic (WBC) is an international baseball tournament sanctioned from 2006 to 2013 by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) and after 2013 by World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) in partnership with Major Leagu ...

. He started in the team's opening game against

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 ...

, pitching four shutout innings while allowing three hits and striking out one batter, finishing the game with a no decision after leaving the game scoreless.

Personal

DiFelice has served as the unofficial barber of all the teams he has played for. His grandmother was a

hairdresser A hairdresser is a person whose occupation is to cut or style hair in order to change or maintain a person's image. This is achieved using a combination of hair coloring, haircutting, and hair texturing techniques. A Hairdresser may also be refe ...

, and his aunt owns a salon in

Newtown Square, Pennsylvania Newtown Township is a township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Prior to 1789 it was part of Chester County. The population was 12,216 as of the 2010 census, and was 19,705 as of 2017. History The first mention of the township was in 1684, ...

. When word spread that DiFelice cut hair, his teammates began making appointments for haircuts in the clubhouse.Haudricourt, Tom
"DiFelice adds shear relief in role as team barber."
JSOnline. May 28, 2009. Retrieved on December 20, 2010.

References

External links

Pelota Binaria (Venezuelan League)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Difelice, Mark 1976 births Living people American sportspeople of Italian descent American expatriate baseball players in Canada Baseball coaches from Pennsylvania Baseball players from Pennsylvania Camden Riversharks players Carolina Mudcats players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players American expatriate baseball players in Italy Huntsville Stars players Major League Baseball pitchers Minor league baseball coaches Milwaukee Brewers players Naranjeros de Hermosillo players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Nashville Sounds players Navegantes del Magallanes players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela New Orleans Zephyrs players Ottawa Lynx players People from Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania Portland Rockies players Rimini Baseball Club players Salem Avalanche players Somerset Patriots players Sportspeople from Delaware County, Pennsylvania Tri-City Dust Devils players Tulsa Drillers players Western Carolina Catamounts baseball players Yaquis de Obregón players 2009 World Baseball Classic players