Frank Viola
Frank Viola | |
---|---|
Coach | |
Born: East Meadow, New York, U.S. | April 19, 1960|
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
MLB debut | |
June 6, 1982, for the Minnesota Twins | |
Last MLB appearance | |
May 28, 1996, for the Toronto Blue Jays | |
MLB statistics | |
Win–loss record | 176–150 |
Earned run average | 3.73 |
Strikeouts | 1,844 |
Teams | |
Career highlights and awards | |
|
Frank John Viola Jr. (born April 19, 1960) is an American former
He batted and threw left-handed, and he was nicknamed "Sweet Music" – a nickname he picked up after a Minnesota sports writer declared that when Viola pitched, there was "Sweet Music" in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. The nickname was a play on the fact that his last name is also a name of a musical instrument, although pronounced differently. A fan began displaying a banner bearing the phrase in the outfield's upper deck whenever Viola pitched. Twins fans considered the banner to be a good luck charm. The banner is now the property of the Minnesota Historical Society. It was again displayed when Viola was inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame. He was honored as a member of the Twins' "All Dome" team in 2009.
Biography
Early life
Viola was born and grew up in East Meadow, New York, with his brother John and sister Nancy, and he went on to attend and play baseball for East Meadow High School before playing at the collegiate level for St. John's University. On May 21, 1981, Viola faced future Mets teammate Ron Darling, then playing for Yale University. The game, often considered to be the best in college baseball history, saw Darling pitch 11 innings of no-hit ball before surrendering his only hit, a leadoff single in the 12th, leading to the game's only run. Viola himself threw 11 innings of shutout ball.[1][2] Viola was drafted following his senior year in the 16th round of the 1979 Major League Baseball draft by the Kansas City Royals,[3] but he did not sign.
Minnesota Twins
Viola signed with the Minnesota Twins after the team drafted him in the second round of the 1981 Major League Baseball draft. After spending less than a full season in the minor leagues, Viola made his major league debut on June 6, 1982. Although his statistics were fairly disappointing—he finished 11–25 with a 5.37 ERA in the 1982 and 1983 seasons—Viola became a permanent fixture of the Twins' starting staff for the next 7 seasons, picking up 112 of his 176 career wins.
Viola helped pitch the Twins to their second World Series appearance and first World Series win in 1987; he finished the season with a 17–10 record, a 2.90 ERA, and 197 strikeouts in 251+2⁄3 innings. Viola would then sparkle in the post-season, going a combined 3–1 with 25 strikeouts in 31+1⁄3 innings despite a 4.31 ERA. Following the Twins' Game 7 series–clinching win—a game which Viola won 4–2—he was named the
Most baseball enthusiasts agree that Viola's best year was
New York Mets
At the
Viola had a much better year in 1990, winning 20 games for the second time in his career. He would finish third in the Cy Young Award voting behind Pittsburgh's Doug Drabek and Los Angeles' Ramón Martínez, and he was named to the National League's All-Star Team.
In 1991, Viola made the All-Star Game for a third time after posting an 11–5 record in the first half of the season. However, as the Mets collapsed in the second half of the year to finish with a 78–84 record, Viola collapsed with them and went 2–10 in his final 12 decisions. His last win came in his second-to-last start with the Mets on September 29 at Shea Stadium against the Philadelphia Phillies. He became a free agent after the 1991 season when the Mets opted not to resign Viola.
Later career
He signed with the
Postseason
He only got one chance in the
Coaching and personal life
In retirement, Viola coached baseball for
Daughter
Brittany made Viola a grandfather in August 2014.[6] Daughter Kaley played volleyball at Winthrop University and is now an assistant coach at Davidson College.[15][16]
Son
This article needs to be updated.(February 2019) |
See also
- List of Major League Baseball annual wins leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career strikeout leaders
References
- ^ Zach Schonbrun (June 9, 2012). "Viola-Darling Pitching Duel in 1981 Has Not Been Forgotten". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 14, 2013. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
- ^ a b McGee, Ryan (May 21, 2021). "Ron Darling, Frank Viola and NCAA baseball's greatest game ever, 40 years on". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
- ^ "Frank Viola Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2022-10-13.
- ^ "Viola, Bailey combine on no-hitter". Chicago Tribune. April 3, 1993. p. 3.
- ^ "Frank Viola takes job as Mets minor-league coach". Orlando-Sentinel. January 27, 2011. Archived from the original on November 10, 2013. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
- ^ a b Anthony Rieber (March 19, 2014). "Ballpark a refuge for Mets minor-league pitching coach Frank Viola". Newsday. Archived from the original on March 26, 2014. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
- Daily News. Archivedfrom the original on April 30, 2014. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
- ^ Adam Rubin (May 29, 2014). "Frank Viola back after heart issue". WEPN. ESPN.com. Archived from the original on May 30, 2014. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
- ^ D. J. Short (May 29, 2014). "Frank Viola recovered from heart surgery, ready to serve as Mets' Triple-A pitching coach". NBC Sports. Archived from the original on May 31, 2014. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
- ^ Tim Heiman (January 5, 2018). "2018 Field Staff Named for Binghamton". mlb.com.
- ^ Tim Heiman (January 5, 2018). "2018 Field Staff Named for Binghamton". mlb.com.
- ^ Anthony DiComo (October 3, 2018). "Pitching instructor Viola leaving Mets". mlb.com.
- ^ Mike Ashmore (November 28, 2018). "High Point Rockers Name Jamie Keefe Manager, Frank Viola Pitching Coach". mycentraljersey.com.
- ^ Anthony DiComo (March 25, 2014). "Viola to undergo open-heart surgery". MLB.com. Archived from the original on May 31, 2014. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
- ^ Sid Hartman (July 16, 2014). "Continued: Hartman: Grant cherishes '65 All-Star Game, World Series with Twins". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on July 27, 2014. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
- ^ Friedell, Nick (February 15, 2019). "Warriors' Stephen Curry celebrates Davidson win in student section". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
One of the fans Curry was able to spend a few moments with was former Cy Young Award winner Frank Viola, whose daughter, Kaley, is an assistant volleyball coach at Davidson.
- ^ a b Michael Wray (March 5, 2014). "Toronto Blue Jays sign knuckleballer Frank Viola III to minor league deal". Archived from the original on March 26, 2014.
- ^ "Frank Viola". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on March 26, 2014.
- ^ Donna Bowman (December 17, 2012). "How I Met Your Mother: "The Final Page, Part One"/"The Final Page, Part Two"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
- ^ Whitzman, April (March 5, 2014). "Blue Jays sign another Knuckleballer with Frank Viola III". Canadian Baseball Network. Archived from the original on May 30, 2014. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs
- Frank Viola Baseball Official Site Archived 2013-05-27 at the Wayback Machine
- Frank Viola Career Stats ESPN
- Frank Viola Baseball Stats Baseball Almanac
- Frank Viola Pitching Coach NY Post