Anthony Paul Criscola (July 9, 1915 – July 10, 2001) was a

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), ...

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 ...

who played for 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 ...

(1942–1943) and Cincinnati Reds (1944). He was a native of

Walla Walla, Washington Walla Walla is a city in Walla Walla County, Washington, where it is the largest city and county seat. It had a population of 34,060 at the 2020 census, estimated to have decreased to 33,927 as of 2021. The population of the city and its two su ...

. Criscola is one of many ballplayers who only appeared in the major leagues during World War II. He hit very well in his 91 games in 1942, going 47-for-158, a .297

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

. He didn't fare as well in 1943 and 1944, hitting a combined .211 in 93 games. Career totals include a batting average of .248, 1

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 ...

, 28

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 ...

, 35 runs, and an on-base percentage of .307. He was a slightly below average fielder for his era (.966), and was used many times as a

pinch-hitter In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead (not in active play); the manager may use any player who has not yet entered the game as a substitute. Unlike basketball, America ...

during his 3-year

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), ...

career. Criscola died in La Jolla, California at the age of 86.

External links

Baseball Reference
* Major League Baseball outfielders Baseball players from Washington (state) St. Louis Browns players Cincinnati Reds players San Diego Padres (minor league) players 1915 births 2001 deaths Major League Baseball left fielders Sportspeople from Walla Walla, Washington {{Baseball-left-fielder-stub