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rico petrocelli, 1973 topps #365, red sox

Player: Petrocelli, Rico

Card: 1973 Topps #365

Position: SS/3B

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playerbio

One of the most popular players ever to play for the Boston Red Sox, Rico Petrocelli will always be remembered for his familiar “Fenway Stroke” that sent many an opposing hurler’s offerings into the net atop the left field wall.

Rico Petrocelli was born in Brooklyn, NY and went to Sheepshead Bay HS. He played his entire Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Boston Red Sox, earning two trips to the All-Star game in 1967 and 1969.

Rico was an integral and key part of the 1967 Boston Red Sox "The Impossible Dream" season in which the Red Sox finished first in the American League (AL) with a record of 92 wins and 70 losses. The regular season had one of the most memorable finishes in baseball history, as the AL pennant race went to the last game, with the Red Sox finishing one game ahead of both the Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins in the final AL standings.

1967 was the team's first winning season since 1958, as the Red Sox shocked all of New England and the rest of the baseball world by reaching the World Series for the first time since 1946. Petrocelli smashed two home runs in World Series game 6 - one of them in a three-home-run 4th inning, a World Series record. The Red Sox fell to the Cardinals in seven games, however.

In 1969 he slashed for 40 HR, 97 RBI and a .297 Batting Average, finishing 7th in MVP voting. As of this writing, Petrocelli holds MLB's eighth-best all-time fielding percentage for third basemen (.970). He was inducted to the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 1997.

Rico also played all 7 games for the Red Sox in the famous 1975 World Series, hitting .309, scoring three runs and knocking in four runs.

(excerpted from SABR, BR Bullpen, and Wikipedia)

morecards

1966 Topps #298
1969 Topps #215
1970 Topps #680
1970 Topps Booklet #2
1971 Topps #340
1972 Topps #30
1974 Topps #609
1975 Topps Mini #356
1976 Topps #445
1977 Topps #111
2001 Fleer Red Sox 100th #NA (autographed)
2005 Upper Deck MLB Artifacts #RP (autographed)
2009 Italian American Baseball Heroes #78

tourstops


Listen to Larry Baldassaro’s interview with Rico here – or view the Next Stop on the Baseball Italian Style Tour


Rico Petrocelli is part of the New York City Born Player Tour – Go to the Next Stop


Rico is also part of the Topps Card Tour – 1973 Topps – Go to the Next Stop


Petrocelli is also part of the Italian American Sports Hall of Fame Tour – Go to the Next Stop


Rico is part of the All-Star Player Tour – Go to the Next Stop


Rico is also part of the Boston Red Sox Player Tour – Go to the Next Stop


See all Rico’s baseball cards at TCDB


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