Vito Valentinetti

Vito John Valentinetti (born September 16, 1928 in West New York, New Jersey) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. His nine-year career included one full season and parts of four others in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox (1954), Chicago Cubs (1956–57), Cleveland Indians (1957), Detroit Tigers (1958), and Washington Senators (1958–59). The right-hander was listed as 6 feet (1.83 m) tall and 195 pounds (88 kg).^[1]

A graduate of Iona College, Valentinetti entered pro baseball in 1950 in the White Sox system, and missed two seasons (1952–53) while serving in the military during the Korean War.^[2] Valentinetti made only one appearance for the MLB White Sox, his debut on June 20, 1954, when he surrendered six runs on four hits and two bases on balls in one inning a 16–6 loss to the New York Yankees.^[3] Sent back to the minor leagues, he was acquired by the cross-town Cubs in the 1955 Rule 5 Draft.

Valentinetti spent the entire 1956 campaign with Cubs, working in 42 games, 40 in relief, and posting a 6–4 win–loss record, a 3.78 earned run average and one save. But the following season, he began to bounce around: between 1957 and 1960, he was a member of four MLB teams, five minor league clubs and seven different organizations. Although he spent part of 1958 in the minors, he pitched in 38 MLB games that season for Detroit and Washington. He made ten starts for the Senators, and notched two complete games. But after only seven games in 1959, Valentinetti was sent back to the minors at the May cutdown, and he finished his active career in Triple-A in 1960.

In 108 MLB games, including 15 starts, and 257 innings pitched, Valentinetti allowed 266 hits and 122 walks, with 96 strikeouts, three complete games and three saves.^[1]

References

External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)