Jump to content

Joe DeMaestri

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Joe DeMaestri
Shortstop
Born: (1928-12-09)December 9, 1928
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Died: August 26, 2016(2016-08-26) (aged 87)
San Rafael, California, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 19, 1951, for the Chicago White Sox
Last MLB appearance
September 27, 1961, for the New York Yankees
MLB statistics
Batting average.236
Home runs49
Runs batted in281
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Joseph Paul DeMaestri (December 9, 1928 – August 26, 2016),[1] nicknamed "Froggy", was an American shortstop in Major League Baseball who played for the Chicago White Sox (1951), St. Louis Browns (1952), Philadelphia / Kansas City Athletics (1953–59) and New York Yankees (1960–61). Born in San Francisco, he batted and threw right-handed, stood 6 feet (1.83 m) tall and weighed 170 pounds (77 kg).[2]

DeMaestri graduated a from Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley, California, and began his 15-year professional baseball career in the Boston Red Sox' organization in 1947. He was selected by the White Sox in the 1950 Rule 5 Draft. In an 11-season MLB career, DeMaestri was a .236 hitter with 813 hits, 49 home runs and 281 RBI in 1,121 games played. Defensively, he recorded a .967 fielding percentage. He played 905 of those games with the Athletics and made the American League All-Star team in 1957.

On July 8, 1955, at Briggs Stadium, DeMaestri collected six hits in six at bats in an 11-inning game against the Detroit Tigers. All his hits were singles and he scored two runs, but Detroit won the contest, 11–8.[3]

In December 1959, Demaestri was traded to the New York Yankees in the seven-player deal that famously brought Roger Maris to the Bronx Bombers.[4] When the Yankees won the 1960 American League pennant, he appeared in his first and only World Series, getting into four games and collecting one hit, a single off Joe Gibbon of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the opening contest, in two at bats.

In the eighth inning of Game 7, DeMaestri took over for regular Yankee shortstop Tony Kubek when Kubek was struck in the throat by a bad-hop ground ball hit by Bill Virdon; the play sparked a five-run Pittsburgh rally. However, DeMaestri was off the field when, one inning later, Bill Mazeroski hit his famous walk-off homer against pitcher Ralph Terry. Dale Long had pinch hit for DeMaestri in the top of the ninth, and Clete Boyer had moved from third base to shortstop to take his place on defense.[5]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Joseph DeMaestri Obituary". legacy.com. Marin Independent Journal. August 31, 2016. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  2. ^ Weldy, Stephanie (September 2, 2016). "Novato's Joe DeMaestri dies; former Yankees shortstop". Marin Independent Journal. Archived from the original on August 8, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  3. ^ "Detroit Tigers 11, Kansas City Athletics 8". retrosheet.org. July 8, 1955. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  4. ^ Maris goes to Yanks; A's get Larsen in 7-man deal
  5. ^ "Pittsburgh Pirates 10, New York Yankees 9". retrosheet.org. October 13, 1960. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
[edit]