Ed Abbaticchio
| Ed Abbaticchio | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Runs batted in | 324 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Edward James Abbaticchio (April 15, 1877 – January 6, 1957) was the first
Italian ancestry
, both chronologically and alphabetically.
Baseball
Born in
Boston Beaneaters. He had initially decided to leave baseball in 1906
, choosing instead to run a hotel in Latrobe.
A year later, the
pinch hitter. However, the season prior, on October 4, Ed hit a ball into the stands in game against the Chicago Cubs, which was called foul by umpire Hank O'Day, who also ruled on the infamous Merkle's Boner. The Pirates protested the call which would have been a possible home run or triple, and brought the tying run to the plate. Had the Pirates won the game, they would've also captured the 1908 National League pennant. The hit eventually evolved into an urban legend that had Abbaticchio's foul ball striking a woman in the stands, to where she required hospital care, and which resulted in her filing a lawsuit
against the Cubs. The story of the lawsuit has since been debunked as fiction.
Abbaticchio was a good friend of Pirates great
base thief
.
In 855 games over nine seasons, Abbaticchio posted a .254
bases on balls. Defensively, he recorded an overall .931 fielding percentage
.
Football
Outside of baseball, Abbatticchio was also among the first wave of professional football players. He began his professional football career with the
kicked a goal after
, in an 11-0 Latrobe win.
He is credited by Fielding H. Yost with developing the first spiral punt, enabling the ball to travel farther.
He died in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in 1957.
References
- Van Atta, Robert B. (1980). "Latrobe, PA.: Cradle of Pro Football" (PDF). Coffin Corner. 2. Professional Football Researchers Association: 1–21. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 26, 2009.
- Parrota, Lou (August 2001). "Edward Abbaticchio – The First Italian American Major Leaguer". The Diamond Angle. Archived from the original on July 18, 2006. Retrieved March 28, 2006.
- "Foul Poll". Snopes.com. Retrieved January 24, 2013.
Notes
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
- Ed Abbaticchio at Find a Grave
