Sal Maglie
Encyclopedia
Salvatore Anthony Maglie (April 26, 1917 - December 28, 1992) was an American
Major League Baseball
pitcher
. He played from 1945-1958 for the New York Giants
, Cleveland Indians
, Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Yankees
, and St. Louis Cardinals
. Maglie was known as "Sal the Barber", because he gave close shaves—that is, pitched inside to hitters. Coincidentally, he also sported a five o'clock shadow
look. He also had the distinction of being one of the few players to play for all three New York City
baseball teams. During a 10-year baseball career, Maglie compiled 119 win
s, 862 strikeout
s, and an 3.15 earned run average
.
, and Maglie was unable to return to the Giants until 1950. The ban had been lifted in 1949, but Maglie chose to remain with the Drummondville Cubs, with whom he was playing at the time, and for whom he was making more money than he did with the Giants.
), going 13-5 with 2.89 ERA, tossing a no-hitter
on September 25. He finished second to Don Newcombe
in the first balloting for the Cy Young Award
, and was also second to Newcombe in MVP balloting. He was the Dodgers' pitcher opposing Don Larsen
of the Yankees in the latter's famous perfect game
of the 1956 World Series
.
After two terms (1960–62; 1966–67) as pitching coach
of the Boston Red Sox
, Maglie took a similar post for the expansion Seattle Pilots
in 1969. He was profiled unflatteringly in Jim Bouton
's book Ball Four
, despite the fact that he was a boyhood hero of Bouton. Bouton commented that Maglie rarely gave useful advice to the pitchers, and frequently second-guessed their choice of pitches, often contradicting his previous second guessing.
However, Hall of Fame pitcher Don Drysdale
credited Maglie with teaching him to pitch inside, for which he would be noted. Jim Lonborg
, AL Cy Young Award winner in 1967 also learned to brush hitters back under instruction from Maglie.
(2004) includes short stories from former Dodger pitcher Carl Erskine
. Maglie is prominent in many of these stories.
During the 1950s, Maglie lived in Riverdale, The Bronx.
The Sal Maglie Stadium
, located in Hyde Park in his hometown of Niagara Falls, New York
, is named for him. It is home to the Niagara
Purple Eagles college baseball team, Niagara Catholic Patriots (high school baseball), and Niagara Power
of the NYCBL.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
. He played from 1945-1958 for the New York Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
, Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
, Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
, and St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
. Maglie was known as "Sal the Barber", because he gave close shaves—that is, pitched inside to hitters. Coincidentally, he also sported a five o'clock shadow
Five O'Clock Shadow
Five O'Clock Shadow is an a cappella group from Boston, Massachusetts, that has been in existence since 1991. The band has performed on FOX News, A&E Network, ABC, ESPN and VH-1's "breakthrough" series. They have released 4 cassettes and 5 CDs, winning many Contemporary A cappella Recording...
look. He also had the distinction of being one of the few players to play for all three New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
baseball teams. During a 10-year baseball career, Maglie compiled 119 win
Win (baseball)
In professional baseball, there are two types of decisions: a win and a loss . In each game, one pitcher on the winning team is awarded a win and one pitcher on the losing team is given a loss in their respective statistics. These pitchers are collectively known as the pitchers of record. Only...
s, 862 strikeout
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
s, and an 3.15 earned run average
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
.
Early career
Maglie broke into the major leagues with the Giants in 1945, but jumped to the Mexican League prior to the 1946 season. For this, Maglie was banned from organized baseball by Commissioner Happy ChandlerHappy Chandler
Albert Benjamin "Happy" Chandler, Sr. was a politician from the US state of Kentucky. He represented the state in the U.S. Senate and served as its 44th and 49th governor. Aside from his political positions, he also served as the second Commissioner of Major League Baseball from 1945 to 1951 and...
, and Maglie was unable to return to the Giants until 1950. The ban had been lifted in 1949, but Maglie chose to remain with the Drummondville Cubs, with whom he was playing at the time, and for whom he was making more money than he did with the Giants.
The Major Leagues
After his return, Maglie was integral to the success of the New York Giant teams of the early 1950s. After a stint with Cleveland, Maglie was purchased by the Dodgers in May 1956. Maglie had a sterling comeback season for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1956 (who won the NL pennant by one game over the Milwaukee Braves and two games over the Cincinnati RedsCincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
), going 13-5 with 2.89 ERA, tossing a no-hitter
No-hitter
A no-hitter is a baseball game in which one team has no hits. In Major League Baseball, the team must be without hits during the entire game, and the game must be at least nine innings. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter"...
on September 25. He finished second to Don Newcombe
Don Newcombe
Donald Newcombe , nicknamed "Newk", is an American former Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher who played for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers , Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians .Until 2011 when Detroit Tigers Pitcher Justin Verlander did it, Newcombe was the only baseball...
in the first balloting for the Cy Young Award
Cy Young Award
The Cy Young Award is an honor given annually in baseball to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball , one each for the American League and National League . The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young, who died in 1955...
, and was also second to Newcombe in MVP balloting. He was the Dodgers' pitcher opposing Don Larsen
Don Larsen
Donald James Larsen is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. During a 15-year baseball career, he pitched from 1953-67 for seven different teams. Larsen is best known for pitching the sixth perfect game in baseball history, doing so in game 5 of the 1956 World Series...
of the Yankees in the latter's famous perfect game
Perfect game
A perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a pitcher pitches a victory that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposing player reaches base. Thus, the pitcher cannot allow any hits, walks, hit batsmen, or any opposing player to reach base safely for any...
of the 1956 World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
.
After two terms (1960–62; 1966–67) as pitching coach
Coach (baseball)
In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, or head coach, who determines the lineup and decides how to substitute players during the game...
of the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
, Maglie took a similar post for the expansion Seattle Pilots
Seattle Pilots
The Seattle Pilots were an American professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington for one season, . The Pilots played home games at Sick's Stadium and were a member of the West Division of Major League Baseball's American League...
in 1969. He was profiled unflatteringly in Jim Bouton
Jim Bouton
James Alan "Jim" Bouton is a former American Major League Baseball pitcher. He is also the author of the controversial baseball book Ball Four, which was a combination diary of his season and memoir of his years with the New York Yankees, Seattle Pilots, and Houston Astros.-Amateur and college...
's book Ball Four
Ball Four
Ball Four is a book written by former Major League Baseball pitcher Jim Bouton in . The book is a diary of Bouton's 1969 season, spent with the Seattle Pilots and then the Houston Astros following a late-season trade. In it Bouton also recounts much of his baseball career, spent mainly with the...
, despite the fact that he was a boyhood hero of Bouton. Bouton commented that Maglie rarely gave useful advice to the pitchers, and frequently second-guessed their choice of pitches, often contradicting his previous second guessing.
However, Hall of Fame pitcher Don Drysdale
Don Drysdale
Donald Scott "Don" Drysdale was a Major League Baseball player and Hall of Fame right-handed pitcher with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was one of the dominant starting pitchers of the 1960s, and became a radio and television broadcaster following his playing career...
credited Maglie with teaching him to pitch inside, for which he would be noted. Jim Lonborg
Jim Lonborg
James Reynold Lonborg is a former Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher who played with the Boston Red Sox , Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies...
, AL Cy Young Award winner in 1967 also learned to brush hitters back under instruction from Maglie.
Maglie the Book
The book Carl Erskine's Tales from the Dodgers Dugout: Extra InningsCarl Erskine's Tales from the Dodgers Dugout: Extra Innings
Carl Erskine's Tales from the Dodgers Dugout: Extra Innings is a book by former Major League Baseball All-Star pitcher Carl Erskine. It is a compilation of short stories about life in the glory days of Major League Baseball. The forward was penned by Hall of Fame announcer Vin...
(2004) includes short stories from former Dodger pitcher Carl Erskine
Carl Erskine
Carl Daniel Erskine is a former right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Brooklyn & Los Angeles Dodgers from 1948 through 1959...
. Maglie is prominent in many of these stories.
During the 1950s, Maglie lived in Riverdale, The Bronx.
The Sal Maglie Stadium
Sal Maglie Stadium
Sal Maglie Stadium is a stadium in Niagara Falls, New York. It is primarily used for baseball and was the home of the Niagara Falls Rapids of the New York - Penn League. The ballpark has a capacity of 4,000 people and opened in 1939. Its original name was simply Hyde Park Stadium, and was...
, located in Hyde Park in his hometown of Niagara Falls, New York
Niagara Falls, New York
Niagara Falls is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 50,193, down from the 55,593 recorded in the 2000 census. It is across the Niagara River from Niagara Falls, Ontario , both named after the famed Niagara Falls which they...
, is named for him. It is home to the Niagara
Niagara University
Niagara University is a Catholic university in the Vincentian tradition, located in the Town of Lewiston in Niagara County, New York. Originally founded by the Congregation of the Mission in 1856 as Our Lady of Angels Seminary, it became Niagara University in 1883. The University is still run by...
Purple Eagles college baseball team, Niagara Catholic Patriots (high school baseball), and Niagara Power
Niagara Power
The Niagara Power are a collegiate summer baseball team in the New York Collegiate Baseball League . The current team owner and general manager is Cal Kern. The team plays their home games at Sal Maglie Stadium in Niagara Falls, New York...
of the NYCBL.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball leaders in career wins
- List of Major League Baseball ERA champions
- List of Major League Baseball wins champions
- List of Major League Baseball no-hitters
External links
- Sal Maglie at Find a GraveFind A GraveFind a Grave is a commercial website providing free access and input to an online database of cemetery records. It was founded in 1998 as a DBA and incorporated in 2000.-History:...