Before embarking on a baseball career, Brooklyn native Bill Antonello served in the Navy during World War II. He joined the Navy in New York City, on June 22, 1944, at 17 and on July 5, 1944, went to the United States Naval Training Center in Sampson, NY for boot camp. He served in the Pacific with the USS Bonhomme Richard, a carrier which was later converted to a troop ship to bring troops home from the Pacific, and the USS Los Angeles, a cruiser. He was discharged on June 22, 1946, in Lido Beach, NY, with a rating of Seaman First Class.

In 1946, outfielder Antonello was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers as an amateur free agent and played for the Daytona Beach Islanders in the Class D Florida State League, the Newport News Dodgers, the Greenville Greenies, the Greenville Spinners, the Mobile Bears, the Hollywood Stars in the Class AAA Pacific Coast League and the St. Paul Saints in the Class AAA American Association.

He made his major league debut with the Dodgers on April 30, 1953 and spent the entire season with the team, appearing in 40 games. The Dodgers went to the World Series, but Antonello did not play in any of the games. In 1954, he was back in the minor leagues until 1957, never making it back to The Show. After his career ended, Antonello settled in Minnesota and became a pipe fitter.

(excerpted from Baseball Almanac, RIP Baseball, BR Bullpen and Wikipedia)