Al Piechota
Pitcher
Born: (1914-01-19)January 19, 1914
Chicago, Illinois
Died: June 13, 1996(1996-06-13) (aged 82)
Chicago, Illinois
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
May 7, 1940, for the Boston Bees
Last MLB appearance
April 26, 1941, for the Boston Braves
MLB statistics
Win–loss record2–5
Earned run average5.66
Strikeouts18
Teams

Aloysius Edward "Pie" Piechota (January 19, 1914 – June 13, 1996) was a professional baseball player whose career spanned 15 seasons, two of which were spent with the Major League Baseball (MLB) Boston Bees / Braves from 1940 to 1941. Piechota, a pitcher, compiled an earned run average (ERA) of 5.66, allowing 39 earned runs off of 68 hits, 6 home runs, and 42 walks while recording 18 strikeouts over 62 innings pitched. Piechota also played in 14 seasons of minor league baseball. He made his MLB debut at the age of 26 and was officially listed as standing 6 feet 0 inches (183 cm) and weighing 195 pounds (88 kg).[1]

Early life

Piechota was born on January 19, 1914, in Chicago.[2] His siblings include two brothers and a sister.[3]

Professional career

Piechota began his professional career in 1933 for the Davenport Blue Sox. In his first professional season, Piechota pitched to a 19–4 win–loss record; his 19 wins led the Mississippi Valley League,[4] while the Blue Sox won the Mississippi Valley League championship.[5] The following season, he recorded a 13–11 record, while the Blue Sox, under manager Cletus Dixon, won a Western League pennant.[5] After spending the 1935 season with the team, Piechota played for the Newark Bears, a Double-A New York Yankees affiliate. He tied Steve Sundra for second most wins on the team (12), and finished second on the Bears in losses (10).[6] After playing for the Bears, Oakland Oaks, and the Kansas City Blues, Piechota played for the Blues for three more years, including a 16 win, 2.88 ERA 1939 season[7] in which the Blues won the American Association pennant, their first in ten years.[8] In September of that year, Piechota was bought by the Boston Bees.[9] In his major league debut, he pitched 2⁄3 innings, allowing an earned run off of three hits and a walk;[10] for the year, he pitched to a 5.75 ERA, allowing 39 earned runs off of 68 hits.[11] During the 1941 season, Piechota re-signed with the Bees,[12] and, after pitching for an inning, he returned to the minor leagues, playing for the Hollywood Stars and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

He was drafted by the United States military to serve in World War II. In 1944, Piechota was based at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station, and also pitched for a Great Lakes baseball team.[13] The same year, he was transferred to Naval Air Station Bunker Hill in Bunker Hill, Indiana; there, he pitched for the minor-league Michigan City Cubs, and defeated the National League Chicago Cubs after pitching a two-hitter on August 8.[14] After he was discharged from the military, Piechota returned to minor league baseball until his retirement in 1951, playing in the National Baseball Congress with the St Joseph's Autos team in 1946.[15]

After baseball

After retiring from baseball, Piechota served as a police officer for the Chicago Police Department for 25 years,[3] and pitched for their baseball team.[16] He died on June 13, 1996.[3] Funeral services were held on June 17 at St. Juliana Catholic Church in Chicago.[3]

References

  1. ^ "Al Piechota". baseball-reference.com. sports-reference.com. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  2. ^ "Al Piechota". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d "Aloysius Edward Piechota". Chicago Tribune. June 15, 1996. Retrieved January 2, 2012.
  4. ^ "1933 Mississippi Valley League Pitching Leaders". baseball-reference.com. sports-reference.com. Retrieved January 2, 2012.
  5. ^ a b Rask, Tim (2004). Baseball at Davenport's John O'Donnell Stadium. Arcadia Publishing. pp. 15–16. ISBN 978-0-7385-3247-9.
  6. ^ "1936 Newark Bears". baseball-reference.com. sport-reference.com. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
  7. ^ "1939 Kansas City Blues". baseball-reference.com. sports-reference.com. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
  8. ^ "Youngsters Win Flag for Kansas City". Chicago Tribune. September 10, 1939. p. B2. Archived from the original on June 27, 2015. Retrieved January 3, 2011.
  9. ^ Moore, Gerry (September 9, 1939). "Al Piechota to Join Bees Pitching Staff in Spring". The Boston Globe. p. 5. Archived from the original on June 27, 2015. Retrieved January 3, 2011.
  10. ^ "Boston Bees 11, Pittsburgh Pirates 9". retrosheet.org. May 7, 1940. Retrieved January 3, 2011.
  11. ^ "1940 Boston Bees". baseball-reference.com. sports-reference.com. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
  12. ^ Moore, Gerry (February 18, 1941). "Al Piechota Signs; All Happy at Hive". The Boston Globe. p. 11. Archived from the original on June 27, 2015. Retrieved January 3, 2011.
  13. ^ Moshier, Jeff (February 14, 1944). "Hither and Yon". Evening Independent. p. 12. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
  14. ^ "Cubs Drop Exhibition to Michigan City Nine". Telegraph Herald. August 9, 1944. p. 8. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
  15. ^ Preston, J.G. "The only Class E player to make it to the majors; or, An excuse to obsess". prestonjg.wordpress.com. Archived from the original on September 21, 2015. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  16. ^ "Lenview Nine, Police Launch Series Today". Chicago Daily Tribune. July 3, 1952. p. C6. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved January 5, 2011.

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