Phil Gagliano
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Philip Joseph Gagliano (December 27, 1941 – December 19, 2016) 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 who forged a 12-season, 702-game career 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), ...
as a
utility As a topic of economics, utility is used to model worth or value. Its usage has evolved significantly over time. The term was introduced initially as a measure of pleasure or happiness as part of the theory of utilitarianism by moral philosoph ...
infielder/
outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...
and pinch hitter for four clubs (principally the
St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...
) between and . He threw and batted right-handed, and was listed as tall and . A native of
Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...
, Gagliano came from a baseball family; he was the nephew of a prominent American Legion and high school coach, Tony Gagliano, and his younger brother
Ralph Ralph (pronounced ; or ,) is a male given name of English, Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the Old English ''Rædwulf'' and Radulf, cognate with the Old Norse ''Raðulfr'' (''rað'' "counsel" and ''ulfr'' "wolf"). The most common forms ...
also was an infielder in professional baseball who appeared in the majors, although only for one game in 1965. Phil graduated from Memphis' Christian Brothers High School, where he played for his uncle and was a teammate and schoolmate of
Tim McCarver James Timothy McCarver (born October 16, 1941) is an American former professional baseball player and television sports commentator. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from to , most prominently as a member of the St. Louis Cardina ...
. Gagliano and McCarver, as fellow Cardinals from 1963 through , became two of the four Christian Brothers High School baseball alumni to have played in the
World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...
as of 2017. Gagliano reached the majors for the first time after three full years in the St. Louis farm system; then he spent 3 months of the season on the Redbird roster as a pinch hitter and backup second baseman before returning to Triple-A to complete his minor-league seasoning. In , he spent the first of ten full seasons as a major-leaguer, and, with regular second baseman
Julián Javier Manuel Julián (Liranzo) Javier (born August 9, 1936), better known as Julián Javier oo-lee-AN hah-vee-ER is a former Major League Baseball second baseman. Called ''Hoolie'' by his teammates, he was also nicknamed "The Phantom" by Tim McCarver ...
hobbled by injuries, established career-bests in games played (122), games started (90, including 48 at second base, 25 in the outfield, and 19 at
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 in most offensive categories, including hits (87), runs scored (46),
extra-base hits In baseball, an extra-base hit (EB, EBH or XBH), also known as a long hit, is any base hit on which the batter is able to advance past first base without the benefit of a fielder either committing an error or opting to make a throw to retire ano ...
(24), home runs (eight) and
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 ...
(53, fifth on the club). He got into another 90 games for the Cardinals in , starting 39 contests at third base and further cementing his role as a utilityman. He helped the and Cardinals win
National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...
pennants, and appeared in each World Series that followed as a pinch hitter, going hitless in four
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 ...
; he earned a championship ring when the Cardinals defeated 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 eigh ...
in seven games in
1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...
. Gagliano's tenure in St. Louis ended in May when he was traded to the Chicago Cubs, who used him in only 26 games over the last four months of the campaign. After his contract was purchased by 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 eigh ...
from the Cubs at the
Winter Meetings Representatives of all 30 Major League Baseball teams and their 120 Minor League Baseball affiliates convene for four days each December in the Winter Meetings to discuss league business and conduct off-season trades and transactions. Attendees in ...
on December 2, 1970, he established himself as one of the majors' top pinch hitters of the day. From through , he batted .364, .346 and .366, with 32 hits, in pinch-hitting roles for the 1971– Red Sox and the Cincinnati Reds. But in 1974, Gagliano could muster only two hits and 15 bases on balls in 46 plate appearances, and he retired from baseball. In his 702
MLB 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), ...
games, Gagliano collected 336 hits, with 50 doubles, seven triples, 14 home runs, and 159 career RBI. He batted .238 lifetime. Despite his success from 1971–1973, he batted only .201 over his 12-year career as a pinch hitter. In the field, he appeared in 171 games at second base, 133 at third, 64 as a corner outfielder, 30 as a
first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...
, and two as a
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 ...
. After leaving baseball, he worked in sales and operations management and retired in 2002. Phil Gagliano died at his home in
Hollister, Missouri Hollister is a city in Taney County, Missouri, United States. The population was 4,583 at the 2020 census. History Melinda Fortner settled in Hollister in the early 1880s, after establishing a claim on a 120-acre tract of land in 1867. Reuben K ...
, on December 19, 2016, at the age of 74."Ex-Memphian, St. Louis Cardinal Phil Gagliano dies at 74"
/ref>


References


External links


Phil Gagliano
- Baseballbiography.com

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gagliano, Phil 1941 births 2016 deaths Atlanta Crackers players Baseball players from Memphis, Tennessee Boston Red Sox players Chicago Cubs players Cincinnati Reds players Dothan Cardinals players Jacksonville Suns players Major League Baseball infielders Memphis Chickasaws players People from Taney County, Missouri Portland Beavers players St. Louis Cardinals players St. Louis Cardinals scouts