1878-1893
Charlie Bennett was born in New Castle on November 21,1854-the eighth of eleven children. The family, one of the oldest in New Castle, originally lived on Court Street. The family moved to Pittsburg Street, which would eventually be renamed Washington Street. His father, Silas Bennett, operated a tin shop and his son, Charlie, worked there. Bennett played for the legendary New Castle Neshannock’s in 1874, 1875 and 1876. It was while playing with the ‘Nocks that Bennett would for the first time be used as a catcher-a position he would excel at for eighteen years in the major leagues. In 1876, he joined the Detroit Aetnas, an amateur team, before signing with a minor league team in Milwaukee. In 1877, his team was admitted to the National League and became the Milwaukee Grays. He made his major league debut on May 1, 1878, and became the 373rd player to play in the major leagues. After the Milwaukee Grays disbanded in 1878, Bennett joined on with the Worcester Ruby Legs in the minor leagues. Worcester was admitted to the National League in 1880 and Bennett caught the first perfect game in major league history when Lee Richmond downed Cleveland, 1-0.
In 1881, he signed with Detroit Wolverines and batted .301 with a slugging percentage of.478. He was second in the league with seven home runs and set a major league record with a fielding percentage of .962. That season baseball historian Peter Morris wrote that Bennett took the first “curtain call” in baseball history after hitting a home run. In 1882, Bennett batted .301 and the next season batted a career-high .305. In 1887, The Detroit Wolverines won the National League and defeated the St. Louis Browns of the American Association, ten games to five, in pre-modern World Series.
Bennett is credited with inventing the first chest protector by assembling thick cork and other materials and wearing it under his uniform. Before 1888, catchers did not not use a mitt which required catcher’s to recover by playing other positions throughout the season. He regularly led the major leagues in the most games played by a catcher. During his career, Bennett earned the reputation as the best defensive and most durable catcher in the major leagues.
When the Detroit Wolverines disbanded after the 1888 season, Bennett moved to the Boston Beaneaters in 1889 and played with them the next five seasons. During the off-season in 1894, Bennett stepped off a train in Kansas and slipped on a wet surface. His legs went under the rails and the train ran over his foot and leg. He was rushed to surgery and his right leg was amputated above the knee and his left foot above the ankle. The accident ended Bennett’s career and he opened a cigar store in Detroit and learned the art of china painting.
In 1896, a new baseball stadium was opened in Detroit and was named Bennett Park in his honor. Bennett Park would become the home of the Detroit Tigers until 1912 when Tiger Stadium was completed. Ty Cobb won three American League pennants on Bennett Field between 1907 through 1909. The beloved Bennett would catch the Opening Day pitch in Detroit from 1896 through 1926. Bennett re-visited New Castle in 1926 and was a special guest at a Coaltown-Wampum game in the Lawrence County League that season. Bennett passed away on February, 2, 1927 at the age of 72.
Baseball historian Bill James wrote that Bennett was the greatest defensive catcher of his era and behind only Hall Of Fame catcher Buck Ewing overall in the pre-modern era.
1890-1907
Robert” Linc” Lowe was born in Pittsburgh on July 10, 1985. By 1870, the Lowe family, which included his parents and four siblings, had moved to Union Township. Lowe was an outstanding infielder and played with several local teams in the 1880’s-the Archie Reeds, the Witherow’s and the Neshannock’s. In 1887, Lowe signed to play for Eau Claire in the Northwestern League. Lowe signed with the Milwaukee Brewers of the Western Association for the next two seasons.
The Boston Beaneaters bought Lowe’s contract in 1989 and Lowe made his major league debut on April, 19, 1890. He tied a major league record in 1891 with six hits in one game. After two seasons in the outfield, Lowe moved to second base and started the next eight seasons at that position. On May 30, 1894, Lowe hit four home runs in one game against the Cincinnati Reds-the first time that feat had ever been accomplished in a major league game. The fans threw over $160 worth of silver on to the field for Lowe to honor his performance.
In 1894, Lowe led the league with 613 plate appearances and was second in the league with 17 home runs and 319 total bases. During the 1890’s, the Beaneaters won five National League pennants. With Lowe as a second baseman, the infield was considered the best infield of the pre-modern area. Between 1893 and 1897, Lowe batted over .300 in the period which was considered the “dead ball era.” In 1904, Lowe was sold to the Detroit Tigers after spending just one game with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was second in the league in fielding percentage in the American League. He also took over the reins of manager during the season. He was replaced as manager in 1905, but remained with theTigers until retiring at age 42 in 1907. When Lowe retired, his fielding percentage of .953 was the highest career average for any second baseman in history. In 1911, the New York Times called Lowe”the greatest utility player of all times.” In 1936, he finished just a half-vote short of induction into the Hall of Fame in the balloting by the Veterans Committee.
Lowe was hired to manage the University of Michigan Wolverines in 1907 and led them to a 11-4-1 record. He also managed the Grand Rapids Wolverines in 1908 and was head coach of the Washington & Jefferson College baseball team in 1910. Lowe became a scout with Detroit Tigers in 1911. In 1932, Lou Gehrig hit four home runs in one game and Lowe posed with the baseball immortal for a picture with Gehrig. Lowe died in 1951 in Detroit at the age of 86.
1901-1919
Terry” Cottonhead” Turner was born on February 28, 1881 in Sandy Lake, Pennsylvania. His father, Clarence, a blacksmith, moved the family to the Ellwood City in the early 1900’s. The Turner’s resided at 228 Fourth Street and Terry played for the local Ellwood City county teams in the the 1890’s. He began his professional career in 1900 with the Wheeling Stogies of the Inter-State League as an infielder and with Ashtabula in the Oil and Iron League in 1901.
He signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates and made his major league debut on August 25, 1901. The Pirates released him and he joined with Columbus of the American Association. In 1902, Turner batted .295 and the next season batted 310. He also became the first player to use the head-first slide on his way to stealing 41 bases in 1903.
After being traded to Cleveland, Turner started at shortstop for the next four seasons and batted .291 with 27 doubles in 1906. He also led the league in assists, double plays and fielding percentage. He hit a career high of .308 in 1912. In 1914, he led the league with sacrifices with 38. Turner had an injury-proned career, but managed to play seventeen years in the major leagues. Bouncing between shortstop and third base, he led the American League in fielding percentage four times. In his career he broke up three no-hitters and a perfect game.Terry was given his release from the Indians in 1918.
Upon his retirement, Turner was in the top ten of numerous career categories for the Indians. He led in games played with 1,619, tied for second in sacrifices with 264, third in at-bats with 5,787, third in steals with 264, ninth in hits with 1,472 and ninth in triples with 77. His team record for steals last seventy-seven years before being broken by Kenny Lofton in 1996.
After his retirement from baseball, Turner visited his parents in Ellwood City often. He continued to reside in Cleveland and died on July 18, 1960 at 79 years of age. In 2001, on the 100th anniversary of the Cleveland Indians, Turner was selected to the 100 Greatest Indians All-Time Roster.
1906-1914
Jack Rowan was born in New Castle on June 16, 1886. Rowan grew up on Pollack Avenue and signed to play for the Leavenworth(KS) Old Soldiers of the Western League. With a record of 18-10 that season, he was signed by the Detroit Tigers and made his major league debut on September 6, 1906. He started the next season back in the minors with the Macon Brigands and before finishig the season with the Atlanta Crackers of the Southern Atlantic League.
In 1908, he was sent to Dayton of the Central League and posted a 23-14 record. Rowan was brought up to the Cincinnati Reds and finished the year with a 3-3 record and a 1.82 earned run average. In 1909. he finished 11-12 with the Reds with a 2.79 ERA. Rowan had another fine season in 1910, with a 14-13 record and an ERA of 2.93. Rowan was traded to the Philadelphia A’s in 1911 and has a 2-4 record in 13 games. He had signature victory that season when he tossed a three-hitter against the New York Giants defeating pitching immortal Christy Mathewson. Later in the season he was traded to the Chicago Cubs and pitched one game.
Rowan went back to the Central League with Dayton in 1912 and 1913 before he was recalled to the Cincinnati Reds at the end of the 1913 season. He posted a 0-4 record with a ERA of 3.00. He returned to Dayton before being called up to the Reds. He went 1-3 with an ERA of 3.46. Rowan spent the final seasons of his career with Dayton, which included a 16-4 record in 1916. He retired after the 1917 season.
Rowan lived till the age of eighty and died in Dayton on September 29. 1966.
1919-1933
Harold Haid was born in Barberton, Ohio on December 21. 1897. The Haid family eventually moved to New Castle and resided on Emerson Avenue in the North Hill. “Had” would become a stellar athlete in baseball, tennis and basketball. He was a pitcher for Belmont Abbey College in Georgia and each summer excelled as pitcher for the county teams in New Castle. In 1917, “Had” began his professional career with Hanover(MD) in the Blue Ridge League. He advanced that season to Columbus, Augusta and Charleston in the South Atlantic League. In 1919, he pitched for Pennsylvania Engineering in the Industrial League in New Castle before going to Bay City, Michigan of the Michigan-Ontario League.
Haid advanced during the 1919 season to the International League with Jersey City. He was promoted at the end of the season to the St. Louis Browns of the American League and made his major league debut on September 5, 1919. In 1920, Haid went back to the minor leagues and was assigned to Mobile, (AL) in the Southern League. He was sent to Columbus in the American Association in 1921 and played in the Western League for the next four seasons. In 1925, Haid posted a 20-17 record with St. Joseph (MO) in the Western League.
Haid played for Houston in the Texas League in 1926 and Syracuse in the International League in 1927. In 1928, Haid made it back to the major leagues for the first time since 1919. Pitching in relief for the St. Louis Cardinals, he was 2-2 with an earned run average of 2.20. The Cardinals won the National League pennant before being swept by the New York Yankees in the World Series. He was a starting pitcher for the Cardinals in 1929 and compiled a 9-9 record with a 4.07 ERA. Haid went back to the bullpen in 1930 and posted a 3-2 record with a 4.09 ERA. The Cardinals once again reached the World Series and were defeated in six games by the Philadelphia Athetics. He was traded to the Boston Braves of the National League in 1931 and had an 0-2 record with a 4.50 ERA. Haid was sent back to the minor leagues in 1932 and 1933 with Seattle of the Pacific Coast League. He made it back to the majors at the end of the 1933 season with the Chicago White Sox. Haid played for Oakland in the Pacific Coast League from 1934 through 1937 before retiring at age 39.
Haid died on August 13, 1952 in Los Angeles, California.
1923-1934
Lewis “Hack” Wilson was born in Ellwood City on April 26, 1900. From the book, “Fouled Away” by Clifton Blue Parker, Lewis’ mother, Jennie Kaughn and his father Robert Wilson, were both employed by the Steel Car Forge. Both spent most of their free time, like many employees, drinking at the Dugan Hotel. When the 15-year old Jennie became pregnant, Wilson refused to marry her. After Lewis was born he would begin living in the boarding house of Mr. and Mrs. Connie Wardman at 716 Crescent Avenue. Despite not seeing either of his parents very often, Lewis suffered a great loss when his mother died of a burst appendix when he was seven years old. The Wardman’s would now provide virtually all the caring for Lewis the next few years. Wardman, a former minor league player named after Connie Mack, was considered the “Father of Ellwood City Baseball.” Wardman played and coached local county league teams and was a star shortstop for Ellwood City’s first county league champion, the Shelby Socials, in 1909. He mentored the youths of Ellwood City on the fundamentals of baseball, especially young Lewis, at Shelby Field. In the book, “Hack” by Bob Boone, he wrote the following: “People frequently walked far out of their way to pass Shelby Field to watch Lew bat out long home runs and slide on his belly around the outfield. Caring coaching from Wardman combined with Lew’s natural talent produced a ten-year old who played as well as boys many years older.” Perhaps in an effort to make a new start, Robert Wilson decided to move to Chester on the other end of the state and took Lewis with him.
Lewis would quit school at age 16 and began working in the mills in Chester. With his strong build, he was given the nickname “Stouts” and used his powerful shoulders and arms to swing a sledgehammer. Playing sandlot ball when he wasn’t working in the mills, Wilson became a catcher with a county league team, the Chester Athletics. After observing Wilson’s talent, his manager began paying him more playing for the team than working at the mill. He drew the attention of scout Clayton Johnson who recommended him to Martinsburg(WV)of the Blue Ridge League. In his second season at Martinsburg, he hit 30 home runs, setting a league record. In 1923, he was promoted to Portmouth in the Virginia League and belted 19 home runs, 15 triples and 37 doubles with a batting average of .388. As a late season addition, Wilson joined the New York Giants and was managed by the legendary John McGraw. Wilson made his major league debut on September 29, 1923 in Chicago. He started the next season with the Giants and was given the nickname, “Hack”, probably after the stocky German wrestler George Hackenschmidt. He finsished the season with 10 home runs, 57 RBI and a .295 batting average. The Giants reached the World Series and Hack appeared in all seven games batting .233.
McGraw sent Wilson to the minors to play for the Toledo Mud Hens to start the season in 1925. After batting .343 in Toledo, Wilson returned to the Giants but batted only .239. During the season, Wilson visited Locust Grove Cemetery in Ellwood City and paid for the perpetual care of his mother’s grave. When Joe McCarthy became manager of the Chicago Cubs before the 1926 season, he remembered Hack from the season before in Toledo. McCarthy acquired Wilson from the Giants and managed Hack through his greatest seasons in the major leagues.
Wilson opened the 1926 season in centerfield for the Cubs and led the National League in home runs with 21, batted .321 and drove in 109 runs. He finished fifth in the voting for Most Valuable Player. He followed that up in 1927 by leading the National League in home runs with 30 and RBI with 129. He also batted .318 for the season. In 1928, he swatted a league-leading 31 home runs, drove in 120 runs and batted .313. During the season, Wilson joined the Ellwood City Shelby Social county team, now managed by his mentor, Connie Wardmen, in Aliquippa. Wilson participated in a Home Run Derby before the game. In 1929, Hack batted .345 with 39 home runs and a league-leading 159 RBI. The Cubs reached the World Series before losing in five games to the Philadelphia A’s.
After four outstanding years, Wilson produced in 1930 one of the greatest offensive seasons in the history of major league baseball. Hack walloped a National League record 56 home runs-second only to Babe Ruth’s 60 home runs in 1927. This record would last until 1998 when Mark McGuire hit 70 home runs and Sammy Sosa hit 66 home runs during MLB’s steroid-infused era. Wilson also batted .356 with with a league-leading .723 slugging percentage. He also led the league in walks and strikeouts. In addition, using the new sabremetrics, he compiled an OPS of 1.177 and an OPS+ of 167, both among the highest season totals in the history of baseball. However, of all of the offensive records set by Wilson that season-one record would stand alone. Wilson drove in a record 191 runs-breaking Lou Gehrig’s record of 173 RBI set in 1927. The RBI record has remained one of sports unattainable record for almost 90 years.
Unfortunately, after the tremendous 1930 season, Cubs’ manager Joe McCarthy took over the reins of the New York Yankees. Rogers Hornsby would become the player-manager of the Chicago Cubs. Hornsby and Wilson would clash and Hack played just 113 games and batted .261 in 1931. Wilson was traded to the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1932 and responded with a fine season with 23 home runs, 123 RBI and a ,297 average. However, Wilson’s slumped the next two seasons with Brooklyn and he was traded to the Phliadelphia A’s in 1935. He played just seven games and on August 25, 1935 ended his career with a single and two RBI against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Wilson struggled after leaving baseball and was in dire financial straits. He suffered from the effects of a life-long struggle with alcohol and worked as an attendent at a Baltimore YMCA. After a severe fall in his apartment, he died of pulmonary edema on November 23, 1948. His son, from whom he was estranged for years, was an 18-year old college student and did not claim his father’s body. The Ellwood City Chamber of Commerce began to raise funds to have his burial in the city of his birth. But the Martinsburg Elks, from the town he started his minor league career, raised $3000 and the burial took place there. In September of 1949, Joe McCarthy, his manager from the glory days with the Cubs, along with some former teammates had a memorial service where a granite tombstone was unveiled with the inscription:
One of Baseball’s Immortals Lewis R. Hack Wilson Rests Here
1929
Paul McCullough was born in New Castle on July 28, 1998. McCullough grew up in Edenburg and was an outstanding sandlot pitcher in his youth. The 5’9″ righthander was a star hurler for the Italian Athletic Association and fanned 22 batters against the Youngstown McElroy’s in 1919. In 1920, he threw all 16 innings and fanned 16 batters for the Castle Cords in a 2-1 win against Irwin. He was seen by a scout in Youngstown and was signed by the Toledo Mud Hens of the American Association in 1921. Pitching at the highest level of the minor leagues, he posted a 13-7 record with a 3.94 ERA. In 1922, after his record fell to 4-12 with an ERA of 5.09, he was released by Toledo.
McCullough returned to New Castle and spent the 1923 season pitching for the New Castle Reicks county league team. In 1924, McCullough returned to the Toledo Mud Hens and compiled a 9-5 record with a 4.17 ERA. He returned to play for New Castle in the semi-pro Ohio-Pennsylvania League for the 1925 season. In 1926, McCullough was back with the Mud Hens and playing for a new manger, the legendary Casey Stengel. McCullough posted a 13-11 record with an ERA of 3.60. In 1927, McCullough followed up with a 7-4 record and a 3.70 ERA. In 1928, McCullough started the year with the Toledo Mud Hens before being sent to the Minneapolis Millers of the American Association. He compiled a combined record of 13-16 with an ERA of 4.32 with both teams.
In 1929, McCullough was invited to go south with the Washinton Senators during spring training and made their major league roster roster. He made his major league debut on July 7, 1929 against the Philadelphia Athletics and threw two scoreless innings. But after two poor appearances, he was released by the Senators. He returned to the American Association with Minneapolis in 1930 and completed the season with a 13-14 record with an ERA of 5.42. It would be his last season of professional baseball.
McCullough came back to his home on Rose Avenue and pitched for Scarazzo’s Coal in 1932, the Universals in 1933 and Ellwood City in 1934. In 1935, he pitched for Youngstown’s East Side Civics and remained with them for the next few years as a player and manager.
McCullough died in New Castle on November 7, 1970 at the age of 72.
1946-1956
Paul Minner was born in New Wilmington on July 20, 1923. The 6′ 5″ lefthander was a basketball standout for New Wilmington High School and led them to two Section titles. In his junior year, he was named honorable mention All-State. New Wilmington did not have a varsity baseball team, but Minner used an overpowing fastball to dominate ths sandlot leagues in which he played. In 1940, he attended the Atlantic Baseball School in Pittsburgh and pitched for the New Castle Red Sox in the City-County League. “Lefty” suffered a season-ending injury when he broke his left wrist against Shenango during the 1941 basketball season. In demand for both his baseball and basketball prowess, Minner signed a contract with the New York Giants in his senior year of high school. In March he left school and pitched that season for the Class A Knoxville(TN) Smokies in the Southern Association.
Minner continued his studies in the off-season and graduated from New Wilmington High School in 1942. That season Minner pitched for the Elizabethon(TN) Betsy Red Sox in the Class D Appalachian League. He posted a 19-2 record with a 2.33 ERA. In 1943, during World War II. Minner entered the service. He continued to hone his pitching skills on several service teams. After the war, Minner pitched for the the Mobile(AL) Bears in the Southern Association in 1946. The Mobile team and all the players were purchased by the Brooklyn Dodgers that season. Minner was 16-11 with a 2.72 ERA and at season’s end was promoted to the Dodgers major league team. He made his debut on September 12, 1946 against the St. Louis Cardinals.
He returned to Mobile in 1947 and compiled an 11-11 reord with a 3.66 ERA. In 1948, he started the year with Montreal in the International League and was 3-2 with a 2.90 ERA. He was called up by Branch Rickey to the Brooklyn Dodgers and posted a 4-3 record with a 2.44 ERA. Pitching in relief in 1949, Minner was 3-1 with a 3.80 ERA with the Dodgers. He pitched in the fifth game of the World Series in which the New York Yankees downed the Dodgers, four games to one.
Minner was traded in the off-season to the Chicago Cubs and compiled an 8-13 record with a 4.11 ERA in 1950. He was 6-17 with a 4.11 ERA in 1951 with the Cubs. Minner had his finest season in 1952 with 14-9 record with a 3.74 ERA. He was ninth in the National League in wins. In 1953, Minner went 12-15 with a 4.21 ERA and was 11-11 with a 3.96 ERA in 1954. Minner was 9-9 in 1955 and was eighth in the National League in ERA with a 3.48 mark. He compiled a 2-5 record with a 6.69 ERA in 1956 and retired after the season.
Minner lived to the age of 82 and died in LeMoyne, Pennsylvania on March 28, 2006.
1952
Leonard Matarazzo was born in New Castle on September 28, 1928. Leonard, a 6’4″ first baseman from Mahoningtown, played for the New Castle Post #343 American Legion team. He graduated from New Castle High School in 1946 and enlisted in the U. S. Navy. After leaving the service in 1948, Matarazzo played in the New Castle City League. While still playing first base, Chicago White Sox scout Fred Shaffer advised the hard-throwing Matarazzo to become a pitcher. Matarazzo was seen and picked up by Youngstown A’s in the Middle Atlantic League in 1949. Matarazzo struggled with his control and posted a 4-8 record with 6.67 ERA.
Matarazzo spent 1950 with Lexington(KY) in the North Carolina State League and compiled a 5-11 record with a 5.37 ERA. After being hit in the shoulder during practice, he changed from an overhand delivery to a submarine style. What Matarazzo lost in velocity, he made up with in control. Pitching for Fayetteville(AK) in the Carolina League, he posted a 8-13 record with a fine ERA of 3.81. In 1952, Matarazzo produced his greatest season in the minor leagues. Despite pitching for the seventh-place Fayetteville team, he compiled a 22-8 record. He tossed nine shutouts and was selected the Most Valuable Player in the league. When the season ended, the Philadelphia Athletics added him to their roster for the remainder of the season. Matarazzo made his major league debut at Fenway Park on September 6, 1952 and pitched a scoreless inning against the Boston Red Sox. It would be his only major league appearance.
In 1953, he was sent back to Fayetteville in the Carolina League. He was stricken with food poisoning and missed several games.After his recovery, he returned to the team and ended the season with a 6-14 record with a 4.22 ERA. In 1955, he was sent to Posrtsmouth(VA) in the Piedmont League and went 1-4. He was sent to Savannah(GA) to the South Atlantic League to complete the year and compiled a 1-3 record.
Matarazzo returned to New Castle and remained involved with New Castle High School athletics for the remainder of his life. He died in New Castle on June 19, 2015 at the age of 86.
1955-1962
Chuck Tanner was born in New Castle on July 4, 1928 and grew up on Stanton Avenue in Shenango Township. Not having a baseball team at Shenango High School, Chuck became a star in basketball, football and track for the Wildcats. He played baseball on the sandlots at Gaston Park and at the age of thirteen made the Mooney Brothers team in the New Castle American Legion League. The next season the 14-year old Tanner started for the New Castle Post #343 American Legion team. In 1943, during the American Legion regional playoffs, Tanner hit a home run against Curtisville. When the opposing team overheard that Tanner was from Shenango, Curtisville filed a protest against New Castle. Although Shenango did not have an American Legion team and Tanner lived only 200 yards from the New Castle line, Post #343 was disqualified from the state tournament. The next season, Tanner strarted playing in the New Castle City League against players much older than him. Despite the age difference, he excelled and was observed by New Castle native Jackie Reider, a Boston Braves scout. Tanner led the Shenango High track and field team and won the WPIAL shot put title. As a senior, he was offered a football schoarship to the University of Georgia. However, upon graduation form Shenango in 1946, Tanner signed with Reider and embarked on a baseball career that lasted the rest of his life.
Tanner was sent to Owensboro(KY) Oilers of the Kentucky-Illinois-Tennessee League, better known as the Kitty League, a Class D team. He also spent part of the season with the Class B Evansville Bears of the Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League. Combined he batted ,247 as an outfielder. In 1947, Tanner started the year with Owensboro and batted over. 400 before being sent to the Eau Claire(WI) Bears of the Class C Northern League. With statistics from both teams combined, he batted .329 with 15 doubles. He started the 1948 season with Eau Claire and was promoted to the Pawtucket Slaters, a Class B team in the New England League. His combined average for both teams was .327 with 9 home runs. Just 20 years old, he advanced to the Class A Western League playing for the Denver Bears. In 1949, he batted .313 and followed that by batting .315 in 1950. In 1951, he was promoted to the Class AA Southern Asociation with the Atlanta Crackers and batted .318. He started the 1952 season in Atlanta before being promoted to the Class AAA Milwaukee Brewers in the American Association. His combined statistics with both teams was a .334 batting average with 19 doubles. Tanner spent another split season between Class AA and Class AAA in 1953 with Milwaukee in the Southern Association and the Toledo Sox in the American Association. He knocked in 62 runs and batted .306 between both leagues. In 1954, Tanner spent the entire season with the Class AA Atlanta Crackers and socked 20 home runs drove in 101 runs and batted .323. He led his team to the pennant, league championship and made the Southern Association All-Star team for the second straight year.
After spending the past nine years in the minor leagues, Tanner finally reached the major leagues in 1955. He started the season with the Milwaukee Braves in the National League and made his major league debut on Aptil 12, 1955 against the Cincinnati Reds. Tanner hit a solo game-winning home run in his first at-bat. He ended the year batting .247 with 275 at-bts. He batted .238 his next season. mostly as a substitute. In 1957, after playing 22 games with Braves, Tanner was placed on waivers and picked up by the Chicage Cubs in mid-season. He batted .286 with 7 home runs and 42 RBI in 95 games. In 1958, Tanner was injured in spring training and appeared in just 73 games batting .262. After the season, Tanner was traded to the Cleveland Indians. He spent most of the 1959 season with the Minneapolis Millers in the International League and hit 12 home runs, drove in 78 runs and batted .319. He was brought up by the Indians late in the season and batted .250 in 14 games. In the winter of 1960, Tanner tore his Achilles heel. Tanner played 21 games and batted .280 for the Indians early in the season. After a couple of months, Tanner was sent to the minor leagues and finished the the year in Toronto of the International League. He hit 14 home runs and batted .293. He started the season with Toronto in the International League and then was sent to Dallas in the American Association. Tanner was picked up by the Los Angeles Angels in September of 1961 and batted eight times at the end of the season. He batted just eight times at the beginning of the 1962 season and appeared in his last game in the major leagues on April 12, 1962. Tanner went back to the minor leagues and finished the season with Dallas batting .315 with 41 runs batted in.
Tanner’s playing days were over in 1962, but would begin a new chapter in professional baseball the next season as a manager in the minor leagues.
1960-1961
Chester Boak was born in New Castle on June 19, 1935. Boak grew up on Bonzo Street on the East Side. The 6-foot, 180-pound righthander was a star infielder and pitcher for the Post #343 American Legion team and graduated from New Castle High School in 1953. He advanced to the All-West Game and was selected by major league scouts to participate in the Pennsylvania East-West Game in 1953. In 1954, Boak played for the Lawrence County Indies and was an all-star third baseman. After attending a Pittsburgh Pirates tryout in 1955, Boak was signed to the Salem(WV) Rebels in the Class D Appalachian League with whom the Pirates’ had a working agreement. Boak batted .338 with 13 home runs and 90 RBI.
In 1956, he moved up to the Class C Crowley (LA)Millers in the Evangeline League. After a strong showing, he spent the second half of the season with the Class B Abilene(TX) Blue Sox in the Big State League. He combined to bat .308 with 17 home runs in both leagues. Boak started the 1957 season with Abilene before being promoted to the Class A Columbia(SC) Gems in the South Atlantic League. He batted .255 with 12 home runs combined in both leagues. Boak started 1958 playing for Edenburg in the North County League before entering the U.S. Army. Although not playing professional ball in 1959, Boak led his U.S. Army league in hitting and fielding and was named Most Valuable Player on his Fort Knox(KY) team.
In 1960, Boak was out of the service and back in the minor leagues with the Class AA Shreveport(LA) Sports in the Southern Association. He hit 12 home runs and batted .292 and drove in 92 runs. After the season, the Kansas City Athletics called Boak up and he made his major league debut on September 18, 1960. In 1961, Boak was claimed by the expansion Washington Senators team and sent to their Syracuse(NY) Chiefs Class AAA team in the International League. In July, he was traded to the Indianapolis Indians in the Class AAA American Association and batted .271. At the end of the season, Boak was called up to the Washington Senators to finish the season. Boak bounced between AAA and A with four different teams in 1962-Portland(OR), Binghampton(NY), Asheville(NC) and Syracuse(NY). In 1963, he batted .262 with 12 home runs and 56 RBI for Portland in the Class AAA Pacific Coast League. He played for the Dallas Rangers in the Pacific Coast League in 1964 and hit .242 with 14 home runs and 41 RBI.
Boak retired after the 1964 season from professional baseball. He worked and resided in New Castle for the remainder of his life. He died during a hunting trip to Emporium(PA) on November 28, 1983.
1963-1977
Dick ” Richie’ Allen was born in Wampum on March 8, 1942. Richie grew up in Chewton-the small village between Ellwood City and Wampum. Richie was one of nine children-five boys and four girls-raised by Era Allen. He was a standout baseball player from his earliest days on the sandlots. Allen smashed a game-winning walk-off homer to give the Lawrence Suburban All-Stars the 1955 Ellwood City Little League Tournament Championship. He played shortstop at fourteen years of age for the Chewton-Wampum American Legion team. As a 17-yea old, he was the starting shortstop for North County League champion Wampum in 1959. Allen was a guard for the legendary Wampum High basketball team which won Pennsylvania State titles in 1958 and 1960. He was named to the United Press International All-State First Team in 1960. He was also the starting shortstop for the 1959 Wampum High baseball section champion and All-Section as a senior in 1960.
Philadelphia Phillies scout John Ogden signed Allen after graduation in 1960 and he began his minor league career in the Class D New York-Pennsylvania League. Allen, with brother Hank also a member of the team, learned to play the outfield and batted .281 with 8 home runs and 42 RBI that season. In 1961, Allen was promoted to the Class C Pioneer League and played second base for the Twin Falls(ID). He batted .317 and hit 21 home runs with 94 RBI. In 1962, he was promoted to Williamsport(PA) in the Class A Eastern League. Allen hit 20 home runs, drove in 109 runs and batted .329. In 1963, Allen was promoted to the Phillies’ Class AAA International League team in Buffalo. However, the team was relocated to Little Rock, Arkansas. Allen would be the first black professional player to play for Little Rock and entered a racially-charged city. After enduring bouts of racism in the early part of the season, Allen’s play won over the Little Rock fans who voted him the team’s Most Valuable Player. Allen socked 33 home runs, drove in 97 runs and batted .289. He was called up to the Phillies at season’s end and made his major league debut on September 3. 1963.
In 1964, after an impressive spring training display, Manager Gene Mauch converted Allen to third base despite having never played the position professionally. Allen broke out to a sizzling start with the Phillies and helped carry his team to the National League lead throughout most of the season. The Phillies held a seemingly insurmountable 6-1/2 game lead with twelve games to play. However, in one of the greatest collapses in major league baseball history, the Phillies lost ten straight games and finished second. Allen however finished with an 11- game hitting streak and batted .429 during the collapse. He finished the year with a .318 average, 29 home runs and 91 RBI. He started every game and was named the National League Rookie of the Year.
In 1965, Allen got off to a fast start which included on of the longest home runs ever at Connie Mack Stadium-a 510-foot shot on May 29. But his career in Philadelphia was changed forever after a physical clash on July 3 with teammate Frank Thomas. Thomas was released the next day, but many Phillies fans would harbor ill feelings towards Allen. Allen was selected to the All-Star Game and ended the year with 20 home runs, 85 RBI and a .302 average. In 1966, Allen put together a sensational season. He made the All-Star team and led the league in slugging percentage. He was second in home runs with 40, third in RBI with 110 and fourth in average at .317. He was fourth in MVP voting for a fourth-place Phillies team. In 1967, Allen homered in the All-Star Game and later in the season hit the first home run to clear the 32-foot wall at Connie Mack Stadium. However, his season was cut short when he injured his right hand in an accident at home. In 1968, Allen hit 33 home runs and drove in 90 runs, but his average slid to .263. In 1969, Allen hit 32 home runs, drove in 89 RBI and batted .288. Allen requested a trade from the Phillies and was sent to the St. Louis Cardinals. Allen had a solid season with the Cardinals and was selected by the fans to the National League All-Star team. Allen was injured in mid-August but still managed to .279 with 34 home runs and 101 RBI. The Cardinals traded him after the season to the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 1971, Allen hit 23 home runs and drove in 90 runs with a batting average of .295. But he would last just one season in Los Angeles and would again be traded-this time to the American League.
The trade would be a turning point for Allen. He would have a manager who was a long-time friend of the family and who grew up less than ten miles from Chewton-Shenango’s Chuck Tanner. Allen would finally be called by the name Dick-the name he preferred. Together they would revive the Chicago White Sox franchise in 1972. In 1971, the White Sox drew less than 850,000 fans and the future of the franchise was in question. In 1972, behind the tremedous performance by Allen, the White Sox drew almost 1.2 million fans and stayed in contention with eventual World Series Champion Oakland A’s throughout the season. Playing for his favorite manager, he responded with a season that restored him to being mentioned with baseball’s best. He led the American League with 37 home runs and in RBI with 113. He batted .308 and also led the league in slugging percentage with .603, on-base percentage with .420 and walks with 99. He was voted the American League’s Major Valuable Player. In 1973, Allen was again selected to the American League All-Star team. However, his season was cut short after fracturing his leg in a collision at the plate. He batted .316 with 16 home runs and 41 RBI in just 72 games. In 1974, Allen was named to the All-Star team for the third year in a row and batted .302 with a league-leading 32 home runs and 88 RBI. Nursing a sore shoulder, Allen abruptly announced his retirement on September 14. However, Allen didn’t file retirement papers and the White Sox traded him to the Atlanta Braves. He refused to play for Atlanta and was traded back to where his major league career began-Philadelphia.
Unlike his departure in 1969, Allen was welcomed the second time around by the Philadelphia fans. Although he only batted .233 and hit just 12 home runs, he drove in 62 runs. In 1976, Allen was in the middle of a fine season when he injured his shoulder in a collision at the plate. Despite playing just 85 games, he hit 15 home runs and drove in 49 RBI. He batted .268 as the Phillies won the East Division crown. Allen was released after the season and signed with the Oakland A’s. He wore the number 60 with Wampum on the back in honor of his high school graduation year. He played 54 games and hit .240 with five home runs and drove in 31 runs. He played the last game of his career on June 19, 1977.
Allen has been a spring-training instructor for the Phillies since 1994. He resides in the house he built for his mother in Wampum, in Los Angeles and Miami. In 2014, Allen fell one vote short of being named to the Major League Baseball Hall Of Fame by the Veterans Committee. He will be eligible again in 2020.
1966-1973
Harold Allen was born in Wampum on July 23, 1940. He was one of nine children-five boys and four girls-raised by Era Allen. His older half-brothers Coy Craine and Cesar Craine were both star athletes for Wampum High School. Harold would follow in their footsteps. Harold, a 6-foot, 190 pounder, was an outstanding guard for legendary Wampum High. He led Wampum to their second Pennsylvania State basketball title in 1958. He was named section MVP and named to the United Press International All-State First Team. He was offered and accepted a basketball scholarship to Baldwin-Wallace College after the season. He also led the Wampum High baseball team to the Section 7 title. Allen, a pitcher and infielder, was joined on the team by his brother Richie Allen at shortstop and Ron Allen in left field. All three brothers also played for the Chewton-Wampum American Legion team. Allen was also selected to participate in the Beaver-Butler-Lawrence American Legion All-Star Game.
After a fine basketball season with Baldwin-Wallace College, Allen resumed playing baseball for North County League champion Wampum in 1959. The Philadelphia Phillies signed Harold and he left college to begin his professional baseball career in 1960 with the Elmira(NY) Pioneers in the Class D New York-Pennsylvania League. At mid-season, he was named to the NY-Penn All-Star team as a second baseman. He was joined by his brother Richie at Elmira who was also making his minor league debut. Allen hit 10 home runs with 62 RBI and batted ,261 for the season. He started 1962 in Elmira but was promoted to Class B Des Moines(IA)of the llinois-Indiana-Iowa League. Combining his statistics for both leagues, Allen hit .263 with 25 home runs and drove in 100 runs. In 1963, Allen was sent to the Class C Pioneer League to play for Magic Valley(ID). Allen had a terrific season for the Cowboys with 37 home runs, 140 RBI and a batting average of .346. He was promoted to the Class A Miami Marlins of the Florida State League. During the season, he was again promoted to the Class AA Chattanooga(TN) Lookouts in the South Atlantic League. His combined statistics for both teams were six home runs, 61 RBI and a batting average of .297. Allen spent the entire 1964 season with Chattanooga and batted .263 with 12 home runs and 70 RBI.
Allen was traded from the Phillies to the Washington Senators and began the season at the Senators Florida Instructional League. He was assigned later to the York(PA)White Roses in the Class AA Eastern League. He batted .297 with 13 home runs and 83 RBI. Allen advanced to the Senators’ Hawaii(HI) Islanders Class AAA team in the Pacific Coast League. Harold batted . 299 and hit 23 home runs and drove in 88 runs. At season’s end, Allen was called up to the parent club and made his major league debut on September 9, 1966. He finished the year with the Senators and batted .397 in 31 at-bats. Allen’s promotion to the Senators, along with Richie’s in 1964, gave the Allen family two members in the major leagues.
Allen spent the entire 1967 season with the Senators as a platoon outfielder and batted .233. In 1968, he started the year with Class AAA Buffalo Bisons in the International League. He batted .262 with six homers and 25 runs batted in. He finished the season with the Senators and batted .219 in 128 at-bats. Allen started the 1969 season with Washington and batted .277 in 271 at-bats. He was traded to the Baltimore Orioles in 1970 and was sent to the Class AAA Rochester Red Wings in the International League. He batted .348 for Rochster and the Senators once again acquired him back. He batted .211 in 44 at-bats and the Senators before being traded to the Milwaukee Brewers late in the season. In 1971, he was traded to the Atlanta Braves and spent the season with the Richmond(VA) Braves in the Class AAA International League. He appeared in only 13 games and batted .267. The Chicago White Sox acquired Allen as a pinch-hitter in 1972 where he was reunited with brother Richie. He also spent 1973 with the White Sox as a pinch-hitter. In 1974, Allen moved to the San Diego Padres organization and headed back to Hawaii in the Pacific Coast League. He appeared in 17 games and concluded his professional baseball career that season.
Harold now resides in Glen Burnie, Maryland.
1972
Ron Allen was born on September 23, 1943 in Wampum. Ron was one of nine children-five boys and four girls-raised by Era Allen. He was the youngest of the boys in the family and took his place in the Craine-Allen legacy of outstanding Wampum High School athletes. Playing along side his brother, Richie, he helped lead Wampum to their final Pennsylvania State basketball title in 1960. He also helped Wampum win the Section 7 baseball title as a first-team All-Section third baseman. The 6’3″ basketball swingman was the Section 7 Most Valuable Player in 1961. As Harold and Richie had done before him, Ron was named to the United Press International first-team All-State basketball team. He accepted a basketball scholarship to Younsgstown State University and was their leading scorer and rebounder in 1962 and 1963. Allen played for Edenburg in the North County League in 1964. Allen, whose brother Richie was in his inagural year in the major leagues, was signed by the Philadelphia Phillies.
Allen was sent to the Phillies’ Class A Miami Marlins team in the Florida State League in 1964. He knocked in 24 runs and batted .241. He returned to Miami in 1965 and drove in 44 runs with a batting average of .229. Allen was sent to the Class A Western Carolinas League to play in 1966 for the Spartansburg Phillies. He hit 16 home runs, drove in 68 RBI and batted .318. He was sent to the Class A Tidewater(VA) Tides to end the year and started the 1967 season there. He smacked 24 home runs, drove in 100 runs and batted .288. Allen was moved up to the Reading Phillies in the Class AA Eastern League in 1968 and hit .258 with 8 home runs and 61 RBI.In 1969, Allen put together a strong season in his second year at Reading, He hit 27 home runs, drove in 97 runs and batted .300.
In 1970, Allen was traded to the New York Mets and assigned to the Memphis(TN) Blues in the Class AA Texas League for 24 games. He was sent to the Class AA Tidewater(VA) Tides and hit 20 home runs, drove in 76 runs and batted .254. He remained at Tidewater in 1971 and batted .258, with 20 home runs and 58 RBI. He was traded at season’s end to the St. Louis Cardinals. Allen was assigned to the Class AAA Tulsa(OK) Oilers of the American Association. He batted .267 and hit 16 home runs and drove in 51 RBI. The Cardinals brought Allen up and on August 11, 1972, he made his major league debut. With his appearance, the Allen brothers made major league history. It was just the third time in major league history that three brothers appeared in the major leagues in the same season. He retired after the season.
Allen resides in Glen Burnie, Maryland.
1979-1981
Bob Babcock was born in New Castle on August 25, 1949. His family resided in Wayne Township which is part of the Ellwood City School District. Bob was outstanding pitcher in the Ellwood City Amateur Baseball program and for the Ellwood City Post #157 American Legion team. The 6-foot five-inch Babcock played basketball for Ellwood City High School but did not play high school baseball. However, Babcock caught the eye of Pitttsburgh Pirates’ scouts in the summer of 1967. Bob was pitching for the Post #157 team against the Little Pirates-the Pirates’ sponsored legion-age traveling team. Babcock tossed two outstanding games against the Little Pirates and the 17-year-old was signed by the Pirates’ after his American Legion season.
In 1968, Babcock headed to the Pirates’ team in the Gulf Coast League in Florida. After struggling that summer, he was released and signed by The Montreal Expos. He remained in the Gulf Coast League and had a 2-1 record with a 3.69 ERA in 1969. Babcock was promoted to the Expos’ Class A West Palm Beach(FL) team in the Florida State League in 1970. He compiled a 10-7 record and an ERA of 2.00. In 1971, Babcock advanced to Quebec in the Class AA Eastern League and had a 7-9 record with an ERA of 2.93. He started the 1972 season with Quebec and posted a 7-5 record with a 3.06 ERA. Babcock was moved up later in the season to the Peninsula(VA)Whips in the International League. He returned in 1973 to Peninsula and went 9-12 and posted a 3.33 ERA. In 1974, Babcock was sent back to Quebec in the Eastern League and became a reliever. He posted a 3.14 ERA with a 1-5 record. He was released by the Expos and signed a free agent contract a week later with the Baltimore Orioles. He started the 1975 season at Asheville(NC) in the Class AA Southern League. In 28 appearances, he posted a 9-5 record with a 2.45 ERA. He was promoted to the Rochester(NY) Red Wings in Class AAA International League. He made 10 appearances and went 2-2. He returned to Rochester in 1976 and went 7-6 with a 5.04 ERA. He was traded after the season to the Texas Rangers.
Being uses as a reliever, Babcock was sent to the Class AAA Tuscon Toros in the Pacific Coast League in 1977 and went 6-5 with a 4.57 ERA. He remained in Tuscon in 1978 and went 1-0 with a 3.79 ERA in 10 appearances. In 1979, Babcock pitched in 29 games for Tuscon and went 5-3 with 15 saves with an ERA of 3.23. Babcock, now in his twelvth season in professional baseball, was called up to the Texas Rangers and made his major leageu debut on July 22, 1979. He appeared in four games that season. Babcock started 1980 with the Class AAA Charleston(WV) Charlies and compiled a 6-3 record with 14 saves and a 1.80 ERA. The Rangers recalled him to the major league team and he went 1-2 with an ERA of 5.01. In 1981, Babcock started the year with the Texas Rangers and had a 1-1 record with a solid 2.20 ERA. His season was interrupted when the major league players went on strike and the season came to a halt. Babcock would never pitch again in the major leagues.
He pitched briefly with the Class AA Tulsa(OK) Drillers in the Texas League in 1982 before returning to the Class AAA Denver(CO) Bears in the American Association. He posted a 3-1 record with a 3.16 ERA. He was traded by Texas in 1983 and spent the season with Class AAA Salt Lake City(NV) in the Pacific Coast League. He went 3-10 with 15 saves and a 3.92 ERA. He sat out the beginning of the 1984 season and went 5-1 for Schuller’s Construction in the North County League. He returned to Salt Lake City and went 2-3. He retired from professional baseball when the season ended. Babcock played for Elwood City in the North County League in 1985.
Babcock is retired and resides in Butler.
1985
Bruce Tanner, the youngest son of former major league player and manager Chuck Tanner, was born on December 9, 1961 in New Castle. Bruce grew up in Neshannock Township and was a standout member of the Neshannock High School baseball and golf teams. Bruce led Neshannock High to the Section 15 title in 1980 and was selected as a pitcher to the All-Section team. He was drafted in the 33rd round of the 1980 June Amateur Draft by the Chicago Cubs. The 6’3″ righthander played for Neshannock in the Lawrence County American Legion League and was selected to play in the Tri-County All-Star Game. Tanner also played for Edinburg in North County League that summer. Tanner enrolled at Florida State University and was injured during fall baseball and sat out the 1981 season due to knee surgery. Tanner was a relief pitcher for Florida State in 1982 and played for Maranoff’s in the North County League that summer. In 1983, Bruce was the ace reliever for Florida State and was drafted in the fourth round of the 1983 June Amateur Draft.
Tanner reported to the Class A Niagara Falls Sox in the New York-Pennsylvania League in the summer of 1983. He went 2-3 with an ERA of 3.60. He went to Appleton(WI) in the Class A Midwest League and appeared in four games with an ERA of 3.00. Bruce made his third move of the year to Class AA Glen Falls(NY) in the Eastern League. He appeared in five games with an ERA of 1.50. He started the 1984 season with Appleton and posted a 12-4 record with an ERA of 1.96. In 1985, Tanner was promoted to the Class AAA Buffalo(NY) Bisons and the Chicago White Sox moved Tanner up to their major league roster in June. Bruce made his major league debut on June 12, 1985 and was the winning pitcher in his first start against Seattle. After a two more starts, he was optioned back to Buffalo and finished the year with a 5-7 record and 3.36 ERA.
Tanner spent all of 1986 with Buffalo and threw 158 innings in 23 appearances. He went 8-10 with an ERA of 4.16. In the off-season, Bruce was traded to the Oakland A’s. He started the 1987 season with the Class AAA Tacoma Tigers in the Pacific Coast League. He was off to a 3-0 start with a 3.05 ERA when he sustained a knee injury covering first base. The injury required surgery and ended Tanner’s season. In 1988, Tanner was sent to the Class AA Huntsville(AL)Stars in the Southern League and posted a 7-7 record with an ERA of 3.23. In 1989, Tanner spent the year in the Pacific Coast League. He started with Class AAA Tacoma before being traded to the San Francisco Giants. He pitched for their AAA Phoenix Firebirds. Combined in both leagues he went 1-6 despite an ERA of just 2.77. In 1990, Tanner made the San Diego Padres spring training roster, but arm surgery ended his season. He spent the year coaching in San Diego’s farm system.
Tanner became a pitching coach in the minor leagues before he was appointed bullpen coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2001. He remained in that role through the 2005 season. In 2006, he was the pitching coach for the Williamsport Crosscuttrers, a Pirates’ affiliate. In 2007, he accepted a position with the Detroit Tigers as an advance scout. He was promoted after the season with the Tigers as a Major League Scout in 2008 an he remains in that position. He resides in the off-season in Neshannock.
2007-2008
Matt DeSalvo was born in New Castle on September 11, 1980, The 6-foot rightander grew up in Union Township and was an All-Section pitcher his junior year at Union High School. As a senior in 1998, he was again selected to the All-Section team as a pitcher and also selected Most Valuable Player. He played for Bessemer Post #638 in the Lawrence County American Legion League and for Brindle Printing MCI in the North County League. After graduation, DeSalvo attended Marietta College, a Division III powerhouse coached by legendary head coach Don Schaly of Ellwood City. By the time DeSalvo left Marietta, he would rewrite their record book. He also would hold the Division III record for career wins with 53, strikeouts in a season with 205 and strikeouts in a career with 603. DeSalvo also starred in two top collegiate leagues in the summer-the Great Lakes League and the New England Collegiate Baseball League.
After graduation, DeSalvo signed with New York Yankees as an undrafted free agent in 2003. He began his professional career in the Class A New York-Pennsylvania League with the Staten Island Yankees. After going 5-3 with a 1.84 ERA, DeSalvo spent the rest of season in the Midwest League with the Class A Battle Creek(MI) Yankees where he went 2-0 with an 0.82 ERA. In 2004. he was promoted to the high Class A Tampa Yankees in the Florida State League and went 6-3 with a 1.43 ERA. He moved up to the Class AA Eastern League with the Trenton(NJ) Thunder for the rest of the season and appeared in five games. In 2005, DeSalvo was selected to the Eastern League All-Star team with Trenton and went 9-5 with an ERA of 3.02. In 2006, he went 5-4 with an ERA of 5.77 in the first half of the year with Trenton before advancing to the Class AAA Columbus(OH) Clippers the remainder of the year. He compiled a 1-6 record with an ERA of 7.68 in 38 innings.
DeSalvo made the Yankees’ 40-man roster in 2007 season and started the season with the Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees in the International League. After he opened the season with three straight wins and a 1.05 ERA, the Yankees called DeSalvo up to the parent club. On May 7, 2007 before a national television audience on ESPN, he made his major league debut against the Seattle Mariners. Cheered on by 47,000-plus fans at Yankee Stadium, DeSalvo allowed just three hits and one run over seven innings. DeSalvo had a 2-1 lead but was denied the win when Seattle rallied to defeat the Yankees, 3-2. DeSalvo made six more starts with the Yankees that season and went 1-3 with a 6.18 ERA. He returned to Scranton/Wilkes Barre and went 9-5 with a 2.70 ERA for the season. DeSalvo became a free agent went the season eneded and became a part of the Atlanta Braves organization. He started 2008 with the Class AAA Richmond(VA) Braves of the International League. He went 2-11 with an ERA of 4.87 before being called up the Braves where he appeared in two games.
DeSalvo signed with the Tampa Bay Rays organization in 2009 and was assigned to the Class AAA Durham Bulls and went 0-4 with a 7.06 ERA in the International League. He was released and signed by the Florida Marlins organization. DeSalvo was assigned to Class AAA New Orleans(LA) in the Pacific Coast League and was 1-2 with a 2.70 ERA. He pitched for New Orleans in 2010 and was 0-2 in four games.
DeSalvo pitched for the York(PA) Revolution in the independent Atlantic League in 2010, 2011, 2014 and 2015. He also pitched for Carolina in the Puerto Rican Winter League in 2011 and Licey in the Dominican Winter League in 2012. He resides in Union and is active in conducting baseball camps throughout the area.
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