Ken Silvestri
| Ken Silvestri | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: May 3, 1916 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| Died: March 31, 1992 (aged 75) Tallahassee, Florida, U.S. | |
Batted: Switch Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 18, 1939, for the Chicago White Sox | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 31, 1951, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .217 |
| Home runs | 5 |
| Runs batted in | 25 |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Kenneth Joseph Silvestri (May 3, 1916 – March 31, 1992) was an American professional baseball player, coach and manager. During his 16-year professional playing career, he was a backup catcher in the Major Leagues over eight seasons scattered between 1939 through 1951, appearing for the Chicago White Sox (1939–40), New York Yankees (1941; 1946–47) and Philadelphia Phillies (1950–51).
Silvestri was born in Chicago and attended Purdue University. A switch-hitter who threw right-handed, he stood 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) tall and weighed 200 pounds (91 kg). He served in the United States Army during World War II.
As a big leaguer, Silvestri batted .217, with 44 hits, 11 doubles, one triple, five home runs and 25 RBI in 102 games played. As a member of the 1950 Phillies, he appeared in Game 2 of the 1950 World Series as a defensive replacement, spelling starting catcher Andy Seminick and handling Baseball Hall of Famer Robin Roberts for two scoreless innings. However, the opposing Yankees broke through to win the game after Silvestri was removed for a pinch hitter in the ninth.[1]
Following his MLB playing career, Silvestri managed in the minor leagues in the Yankee farm system and coached for the Phillies (1952–53; 1959–60), Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves (1963–75) and the White Sox (1976; 1982), working as a minor league instructor for Chicago from 1977 to 1981. He also managed the Atlanta Braves for the final three games of the 1967 season after skipper Billy Hitchcock was fired.[2] The Braves lost all three games Silvestri managed.[3]
Silvestri died in Tallahassee, Florida at age 75.[4]
References
[edit]Sources
[edit]- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference
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- 1916 births
- 1992 deaths
- United States Army personnel of World War II
- Atlanta Braves coaches
- Atlanta Braves managers
- Baseball players from Chicago
- Chicago White Sox coaches
- Chicago White Sox players
- Kansas City Blues (baseball) players
- Major League Baseball bullpen coaches
- Major League Baseball catchers
- Major League Baseball pitching coaches
- Milwaukee Braves coaches
- Minor league baseball managers
- New York Yankees players
- Newark Bears (International League) players
- Owensboro Oilers players
- Philadelphia Phillies coaches
- Philadelphia Phillies players
- Purdue Boilermakers baseball players
- Richmond Virginians (minor league) players
- St. Paul Saints (AA) players
- St. Petersburg Saints players
- Winston-Salem Twins players
- 20th-century American sportsmen
- American baseball catcher, 1910s birth stubs