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Dino Chiozza image from baseball-birthdays.com
Image from Baseball-Birthdays.com

Player: Chiozza, Dino

Card: NO CARD AVAILABLE

Position: SS

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Image from baseball-reference.com

playerbio

Dino Joseph Chiozza (b. June 30, 1912 in Memphis, TN – d. April 23, 1972 in Memphis TN) was a Major League Baseball shortstop who played for the Philadelphia Phillies in two games during the 1935 season.

Chiozza's first MLB appearance came on July 14, the second game of a Philadelphia Phillies-St. Louis Cardinals doubleheader. Before the first game, Commissioner Landis awarded the Cardinals their World Series rings, then watched the Gashouse Gang sweep the set. After watching from the Phillies' bench as Paul Dean made light work of the Phils in the first game, Dino entered the second game as a defensive replacement for shortstop Mickey Haslin. He formed a double play combo with his brother, Lou, and made one putout in his only fielding chance.

The next day, in Chicago, he was tabbed to pinch-run for Johnny Moore with 2 out in the top of the 9th inning against the Cubs. Manager Charlie Grimm respected his speed enough to pull Gabby Hartnett off the bench to catch, hoping to keep Chiozza from stealing. Dino advanced on Johnny Vergez walk, then scored the game-tying run from second on Joe Bowman's pinch-hit single to left.

He played the 9th and 10th innings at shortstop without a fielding chance. Like the fabled Moonlight Graham, Dino never appeared at bat, coming the closest in the top of the 10th inning. He was on deck when George Watkins flied out to end the Phillies' half of the inning. He played the bottom of the 10th in the field, after which he never returned.

Interesting side note: in the 9th inning of Dino's final MLB game (July 15, 1935), with Dino at shortstop, his brother Lou at second base and relief pitcher Pretzel Pezzullo on the mound, it marked the only time that three "ZZ" players appeared in the field for one big league team at the same time.

Both of Dino's brothers (Lou and Joe) played pro baseball - though Joe did not reach the majors like Lou and Dino. Joe, however, saw WW2 combat action including his plane getting shot down in Germany and his parachuting to safety. Two crew members were killed in the crash, but Chiozza and the three other crew members jumped and landed safely. They were helped back to their unit by Belgian underground forces. Chiozza left his parachute with a young Belgian girl who wanted to use the material for her wedding gown.

(excerpted from Baseball Almanac, BR Bullpen & Wikipedia)

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