Pretzel Pezzullo

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Pretzel Pezzullo
Dallas, Texas
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
MLB debut
April 18, 1935, for the Philadelphia Phillies
Last MLB appearance
April 15, 1936, for the Philadelphia Phillies
MLB statistics
Win–loss record3–5
Earned run average6.36
Strikeouts24
Teams

John "Pretzel" Pezzullo (December 10, 1910 – May 16, 1990) was a

New York Giants organization. Pezzullo earned the nicknamed "Pretzel" after his unusual pitching style.[1]
After retiring from baseball, Pezzullo moved to Dallas, Texas, where he died of cancer on May 16, 1990.

Early life

Pezzullo was born on December 10, 1910, in Bridgeport, Connecticut.[2] He had four siblings[3] and is of Italian ancestry.[4] Pezzullo attended school until the eighth grade, after which he went to trade school to learn cabinet and pattern making.[5] He was officially listed as standing 5 feet 11 inches (180 cm) and weighing 180 pounds (82 kg) when he played professionally.[2]

Professional career

Pezzullo began his professional baseball career in 1934, when he played for the

New York Giants. Pezzullo finished the season fifth in the Piedmont League in wins, with 16,[6] while finishing fourth on the Colts in games pitched, recording 27 games over the season.[7] He was called "a good pitching prospect" by Chicago Tribune sports writer Arch Ward.[8] On November 1 of that year, Pezzullo was traded as a part of a four-man deal that sent him, Blondy Ryan, Johnny Vergez, George Watkins, and cash to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for Dick Bartell.[9] For the 1935 season, Pezzullo, who pitched for the major-league Phillies, recorded a team-worst ERA of 6.40, along with a 3–5 win–loss record over 40 games pitched.[10] He hit seven batters by a pitch, tying him for the seventh most hit batsmen in MLB.[11] In Pezzullo's final MLB game in 1936, he walked six batters in two innings pitched.[12]

Minor league career

Pezzullo also played for two minor league teams during the 1936 season: the Richmond Colts and the

Syracuse Chiefs and the Buffalo Bisons in his final year of professional baseball in 1941.[13]

After baseball

After retiring from baseball, Pezzullo moved to

Dallas, Texas, where he married Betty (née Tolcyk)[3] and had one daughter, Patti Moore.[1] In Dallas, he designed aircraft missile models and founded Gulf Industries,[18] a Grand Prairie-based model subcontracting firm.[5] Pezzullo died on May 16, 1990, of cancer.[2][18] Funeral processions were held on May 18 at Holy Redeemer Mausoleum Chapel in DeSoto, Texas, where he was interred.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Deaths Elsewhere". The Philadelphia Inquirer. May 20, 1990. p. D14.
  2. ^ a b c "Pretzel Pezzullo". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
  3. ^
    ISBN 978-1-59629-552-0
    .
  4. ISBN 978-0-8032-1705-8
    .
  5. ^ a b c "Ex-baseball pitcher John "Pretzels' Pezzullo dies at 79". The Dallas Morning News. May 18, 1990. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
  6. ^ "1934 Piedmont League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 31, 2011.
  7. ^ "1934 Richmond Colts". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 31, 2011.
  8. ^ Ward, Arch (September 22, 1934). "Talking It Over". Chicago Tribune. p. 21. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016.
  9. ISBN 978-1-58261-693-3
    .
  10. ^ "1935 Philadelphia Phillies". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 31, 2011.
  11. ^ "1935 Major League Baseball Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 6, 2011.
  12. ^ "Boston Bees 12, Philadelphia Phillies 4". Retrosheet. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
  13. ^ a b "Pretzel Pezzullo Minor League Career and Statistics". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved February 10, 2011.
  14. ^ "1937 Savannah Indians". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 1, 2011.
  15. ^ "1938 South Atlantic League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 1, 2011.
  16. St. Petersburg Times
    . April 30, 1939. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
  17. ^ "1939 Toronto Maple Leafs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 1, 2011.
  18. ^ a b "Former Phillie Dies". The Victoria Advocate. May 19, 1990. Retrieved January 1, 2012.

External links

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