Marino Pieretti

Before he ever threw a pitch in the major leagues, Marino Pieretti had already experienced more challenges than most big-leaguers face in their entire career. A high school team reject, minor-league afterthought, serious injury survivor, and a risky contract holdout—his journey was anything but ordinary. How did a 5-foot-7, Italian-born pitcher, overlooked at every turn because of his size, defy the odds to reach the majors?

He overcame these physical, external, and self-imposed challenges through perseverance, an all-consuming passion for baseball, and good timing. Pieretti’s legacy lives on in San Francisco with a devoted group of baseball enthusiasts.

North Beach Baseball Roots

Marino Paul Pieretti was born on September 20, 1920, in the small village of Marlia, in the Tuscany region of Italy.1 He was the second child of Virgilio and Armanda (Bandoni). Like many immigrant families of that era, their plan was for Virgilio to find work and save some money, and then Armanda and the children would make the voyage across the Atlantic. Virgilio arrived in New York City in July 1920, two months before Marino’s birth. He made his way to San Francisco and found work as a carpenter in construction. In August 1921, Armanda, along with Marino and his older brother Augustino, arrived in the U.S.

The family eventually settled in the North Beach District of San Francisco, a prominent Italian enclave termed “Little Italy.”2 Growing up, Marino was attracted to many sports, but his passion was baseball. San Francisco had a thriving baseball community during this era, especially among Italian American immigrants.3

Virgilio was displeased with Marino’s interest in baseball; he had hoped for him to be a professional musician. One day after paying for accordion lessons, Armanda discovered Marino was skipping his lessons that day to play baseball. She marched to the ball field where Marino was playing, dragged him out of the batter’s box, and took him to the lesson.4

The neighborhood had already produced stars such as Frankie Crosetti, Joe DiMaggio, and Tony Lazzeri, all of whom had attended Pieretti’s high school, Galileo, renowned for its baseball team.5 “We’d go out and play from 9 in the morning to 6 at night,” said his friend and future major-leaguer Dino Restelli. “We played three or four games. And Marino played every game. He pitched in one, played third base in another, and shortstop the next game. He never got tired of playing.”6

Overcoming the Odds

Despite Pieretti’s obsession with baseball, he had one attribute that baseball people at all levels judged not suitable for a pitcher: a small stature. Listed at 5-foot-7 and 153 pounds, the right-hander was deemed too short for a pitcher, even by Galileo High School, whose baseball coach repeatedly cut him from the team.7 Never lacking confidence, Pieretti next set his sights on the local minor-league teams. Because of his size, he endured repeated rejections in 1938-1941 by the San Francisco Seals and Oakland Oaks of the Class AA Pacific Coast League.8 Oakland reportedly told him after a tryout, “Go home, kid, we don’t need a batboy.”9

Rejections were mere stepping stones for Pieretti, whose relentless drive to play professional baseball never wavered. He continued devoting himself to the sport, flourishing while playing year-round in San Francisco’s numerous sandlot and semipro leagues.10 In 1938, he tossed three no-hitters and won 18 straight for the Sunshine Cleaners team.11 However, his constant pitching took its toll, and his arm troubles began as he suffered a dislocated elbow.12

Pieretti later remarked about his relationship with baseball, “I love baseball like nobody’s business. When I go to bed, I lie awake thinking about it. I dream about it. And when I wake up the next morning, I can eat baseball for breakfast.”13

After years of relentless effort, his perseverance paid off in early 1941 when a local scout for Cincinnati, Mickey Shader, was impressed with his abilities and enthusiasm. Shader was also the president of the Tucson Cowboys, a Reds affiliate in the Class C Arizona-Texas League. He told Pieretti that Cincinnati would never sign a pitcher of his height but would recommend him to another team in the league, the unaffiliated El Paso Texans.14

Path to the Majors

El Paso took Shader’s recommendation and signed Pieretti in April 1941. Later, Pieretti said, “My salary at El Paso was $65 a month, I sent home $40 of it. I told my mother I was getting $100. Honest, I was afraid that if she’d learned what I was actually getting, she would have made me come home.”15

Pieretti occasionally brought some of his San Francisco sandlot experience to El Paso’s Dudley Field. During a June game, an 8-4 loss to the Bisbee Bees, upset over the umpire’s calls, Pieretti, “stalked from the mound to the plate, stooped and cleaned it off with his bare hand.” Despite his outburst, he was not ejected from the game.16

During the season, Pieretti was hit by a pitch and suffered a severe concussion and skull fracture.17 As a result, he endured migraines that nagged him throughout his career and resulted in him later being classified by the military as 4-F – “not qualified for military service.”18

In 60 games, Pieretti was 16-18 with an ERA of 4.86, below the league’s 5.16 average.19 He was rewarded by being named to the league’s All-Star team.20 Though Pieretti would later describe 1941 as “so-so”, it was successful enough to attract the attention of other clubs.21 In December, he married Flora Maeso, and they would have four children.

In January 1942, Pieretti made a two-level jump and was sold to the Fort Worth Cats of the Class A-1 Texas League. Though obsessed with reaching the major leagues, Pieretti clashed over contract terms with Fort Worth’s manager and head of business operations, the notoriously “hard-nosed” Rogers Hornsby.22 Unable to agree, he held out the entire 1942 season. For someone as driven as Pieretti, his decision to sit out the year is both astonishing and revealing.

Holding out in 1942 only seemed to fuel his desire, as he played non-stop, often multiple games a day, in San Francisco’s semipro and sandlot leagues.23 Because of the war, the Texas League, like many minor leagues, suspended operations in 1943.24 As a result, Pieretti was reinstated as a free agent. If not for the war, his holdout may have been more damaging to his career. Instead, it provided him with the opportunity to find work in a higher-level league.

Heading into the 1943 season, Pieretti drew interest from unaffiliated Oakland and Portland of the PCL.25 He eventually garnered an invitation to the Portland training camp.26 Their manager, Merv Shea, was impressed, saying, “Marino hasn’t blinding speed, but his fast one has plenty of authority.”27 During spring training, he picked up the nickname that stuck with him throughout his life – “Chick.” The name originated when a doctor was required to remove a chicken bone lodged in his throat.28

Pieretti started slowly, and Portland considered releasing him, but their management was impressed with his “winning spirit, enthusiasm, and constant hustling” and kept him on the roster.29 As the 1943 season progressed, Pieretti improved, posting an 8-11 record in 37 games and 135 innings, with a 3.07 ERA. Encouraged by his progress, Portland re-signed him for another year. During the offseasons, he took on various jobs, including working in a slaughterhouse killing cattle with a sledgehammer; Pieretti claimed the work improved his fastball.30 

With a year of experience at AA, Pieretti came out strong in 1944, attracting attention from major-league clubs.31 By August 20, he had secured his 20th win.32 He finished the season with a flourish, a three-hit shutout versus Oakland. According to the Oakland Tribune, Pieretti “did everything one man can do. He … drove in two runs, stole a base, fielded his position perfectly and was hustling harder at the end than at the beginning.”33

He finished his career-making season with a 26-13 record and 2.46 ERA in 48 games and 322 innings. Pieretti led the affiliated minors in wins, and his ERA was 10th among PCL pitchers with more than 45 innings. With his rapid improvement and 4-F draft status, Pieretti no longer had trouble getting noticed. In November, the Washington Nationals selected him with the second pick in the Rule 5 Draft.34

Gritty Start in the Majors

Pieretti had accomplished his lifelong goal of playing in the major leagues through determination, year-round play, and fortuitous timing. Despite his passion for the game, Pieretti was never afraid to risk his career for what he considered fair pay. Just as he had done in Fort Worth and would do again in the future, he battled through contract negotiations with the Nationals’ frugal owner, Clark Griffith, and eventually signed in late February 1945.35

Washington finished last in the AL in 1944, and coming into 1945, most experts predicted another last-place finish.36 Like all teams, Washington was depleted by the military draft, as they relied upon numerous inexperienced and past-their-prime players. With World War II ongoing, many questioned the MLB’s level of play.37 H.G. Salsinger of the Detroit News declared, “Even the most charitable and amiable of men must admit that the quality of major league baseball in the current season is the poorest in more than 50 years.” Later analysis of wartime baseball challenged the prevailing opinions about the lack of talent, recognizing the impact on rosters while refuting that the level of competition was as diminished as often assumed.

The 24-year-old Pieretti had a strong debut. He went 12 innings, and despite giving up 14 hits and three walks, allowed only two earned runs in a 4-3 win over the Athletics.38 His complete-game victory in his big-league debut is tied for the majors’ second-longest.39 Pieretti, at the time, was just the third Italian-born player to reach the majors, following Lou Polli and Julio Bonetti.

His next start was another notable “bend but don’t break” outing. Pieretti went 12 2/3 innings, giving up 10 hits and 11 walks (two intentional) in a 2-1 loss to the Yankees.40 He is one of three starting pitchers in MLB history to give up at least 10 hits and 11 walks and allow two earned runs or fewer.41 The Associated Press commented that he was, “a throw-back to the old school of rough-and-ready baseball.”42

Thanks to a strong pitching staff, Washington had a surprising year and was in the hunt until the end. In the 1945 season finale, the Nationals needed a win to remain in contention for the pennant. Pieretti picked up the clutch win over the Athletics when he pitched a complete game and allowed only two earned runs in a 4-3 victory.43 Washington’s victory put them one game behind first-place Detroit. However, Detroit took two of their final three to win the pennant.44

Pieretti delivered his best season in the majors, posting a 14–13 record with a 3.32 ERA and 3.47 fielding-independent pitching (FIP) mark.45 In 27 starts and 17 relief appearances, he logged 233 1/3 innings, ranking second in games and 10th in innings among AL pitchers. As evidence of Pieretti’s career-long struggle with control, he was sixth in walks issued, and his BB/9 of 3.5 was 41st, but it was the best in his MLB career.46

He made The Sporting News’ major-league all-star freshman team, which it termed the strongest since 1941.47 According to long-time sportswriter Vincent X. Flaherty, “Old-timers say Marino has more speed, for his size, than any guy in history.”48 Another sportswriter commented that his defining traits were, “aggressiveness, determination, and hustle, the will to fight on after being knocked down by bigger opponents.”49

The end of the war brought wholesale changes to Washington in 1946. On the club’s 40-man roster, 23 players had been in the armed forces in 1945. This influx of talent affected Pieretti’s role, limiting him to 30 appearances, two starts, and 62 innings pitched. He had the worst ERA (5.95), FIP (5.85), and BB/9 (5.8) of his career.

Whether out of comfort or a macho sense of challenging hitters, Pieretti still relied heavily on his fastball.50 Throughout his career, overreliance on the fastball hampered his effectiveness. DiMaggio would later say about him, “If Chic(k) had ever had a curveball, he would have (won) 20 games every year.”51

His 1947 season ended in late August, when doctors discovered a chip in his elbow.52 Yet Pieretti improved upon 1946, finishing his shortened year at 2-4, with a 4.21 ERA and 4.14 FIP in 23 games.

Pieretti saw little action in the early part of 1948 owing to ineffectiveness. On June 9, he was traded by the Nationals to the White Sox for Earl Harrist. Washington manager Joe Kuhel said, “I think Pieretti might be helped by the change. … I believe he has a lot of courage – he showed that when he helped us so much in 1945 – and I think the change of scenery will do him good.”53

Years later, Pieretti would bitterly comment about Washington, “They thought I was a wartime pitcher, a stop-gap until the big boys came from service. And when the big fellows did come home, nobody bothered to see if I could beat more than 4-Fs.”54

Kuhel was prophetic, and Pieretti’s pitching improved with Chicago. His new manager, Ted Lyons, gave him the opportunity to work primarily as a starter. The White Sox wasted no time utilizing Pieretti. He won his first outing, fittingly against his former team. Combined, in 1948, he was 8-12 with a 5.47 ERA in 131 innings, but his FIP of 4.27 highlighted the defensive shortcomings and bad luck he experienced on seventh- and eighth-place teams. Pieretti continued to struggle with arm troubles and underwent an operation on his elbow shortly after the season ended.55

In 1949, he started the White Sox’s home opener and delivered his best outing of the year, pitching seven innings and allowing two earned runs in a 4-2 victory over the St. Louis Browns. At this point in his career, he was more effective in a relief role.56 Overall, his results mirrored those of 1948: 4–6 with a 5.51 ERA and 4.60 FIP.

The White Sox signed Pieretti to another contract in January 1950, then released him in April.57 Cleveland selected him off waivers, as their manager, Lou Boudreau, wanted to use him strictly as a relief pitcher.58 On June 20, a memorable moment occurred when he gave up the 2,000th hit of DiMaggio’s career. When the ball was returned from the outfield, in honor of his long-time paisano from North Beach, Pieretti took it, walked over to DiMaggio, flipped it to him, and shook his hand.59

His only start of 1950 came in the last game of the season in Detroit before 49,000 fans. He went six innings, giving up four runs, as the Indians came from behind for the victory. Pieretti ended the year 0-1 with a 4.18 ERA and 4.57 FIP in 47 1/3 innings.

A Tireless Baseball Journey

With a stacked pitching staff, Cleveland sold the 31-year-old’s rights to Portland in January 1951. Back in the minors, he had a solid year, going 18-13 with a 3.30 ERA for the Beavers. The most notable event of 1951 may have come in the offseason when he was a bartender and received a minor knife wound in a fight with a customer regarding payment. Pieretti said a package of cigarettes helped prevent more serious injuries.60

Throughout his career, Pieretti’s insatiable appetite for baseball extended to near-continuous offseason pitching in semipro leagues in the Bay Area. Augmenting his local winter routine, in early 1952, he played in the Puerto Rican Winter League. A San Francisco Examiner columnist remarked that Pieretti’s “devotion to the game is a constant source of amazement to veteran baseball writers who have followed his career.”

Pieretti commented on why he pitched so much in the offseason: “I’ve gotta keep using my arm or the muscles harden and tighten up. I don’t confine my activity to the diamond. I play table tennis, basketball, even pinball machines. Anything to keep my muscles loose. I’d pitch every day if I could.”61

After Pieretti went 16-18 with a 3.42 ERA in 1952, Portland traded him to the unaffiliated Sacramento Solons of the PCL.62 Pieretti had solid seasons in 1953 and 1954 for Sacramento. In July 1954, while pinch-hitting, he was ejected after a called second strike, and despite his fiery nature and reputation as a “bench jockey,” it was his only ejection in professional baseball.63

His strong showing in 1955 caught the attention of the White Sox, who were scouting him late in the year, but they did not make a move.64 In his best year in the minors since 1944, he was 19-15 with a 3.01 ERA for the Solons. In late 1955, he pitched in the Cuban Winter League, where his success attracted the interest of Phillies manager Mayo Smith. Pieretti’s work in Cuba paid off, and he signed with Philadelphia in December.65 However, he struggled in training camp with a pulled muscle, and the Phillies cut him before the 1956 season.66

Pieretti returned to Sacramento, but they quickly moved on from him. He was part of a large deal with the Chicago Cubs and was assigned to the Los Angeles Angels of the PCL.67 Pieretti went 7-9 with a 4.90 ERA for the 107-61 Angels. Amid the turmoil of the Angels’ last year in Los Angeles, the team released him in April 1957.68 Later that month, he was signed by the Des Moines Demons, a Cubs affiliate in the Class A Western League. His elbow problems continued to bother him, and he was released in June.69

In 1958, the 37-year-old Pieretti returned to Class C baseball, where his journey had begun 17 years earlier. He joined the Modesto Reds of the California League as a player-coach.70 In July, his career came to an end when the Yankees affiliate released him in a cost-cutting move.71 Pieretti admitted, “With conditions as they are now in the minor leagues, I’ve got to face the fact that I’ve had it in baseball.” Always the optimist, he added,” But my arm is still strong and I feel I could do a good job of relief pitching, even in the majors.”72

By the Numbers

Pieretti’s six-year big-league career resulted in a 30-38 record, 4.53 ERA, and 4.20 FIP. Despite an unorthodox 17-season professional career, he finished with an ironically balanced 175-175 record and a 3.78 ERA across 3,013 1/3 innings in 617 games.73 Considering his heavy offseason workload in semipro and winter leagues, it is reasonable to estimate that he threw more than 5,000 innings altogether.74

Applying analytics to gauge his effectiveness reveals some unexpected findings. His Wins Above Replacement (WAR) numbers differ dramatically between Baseball Reference’s “bWAR” and FanGraphs’ “fWAR.” While bWAR focuses on runs allowed (earned and unearned), fWAR utilizes FIP as the primary driver of the calculation. The charts below summarize Pieretti’s key statistics by season, along with his rankings benchmarked against other AL pitchers:75

Table 1: Marino Pieretti: Career Pitching Statistics (1945-1950)76

For 1945–1950, his bWAR was the lowest of the 304 pitchers in the AL, and he allowed the most runs. Even in his rookie season, despite 14 wins, his bWAR was in the bottom 12% of AL pitchers.

fWAR ranks him in the 77th percentile over his career, driven by: (1) FIP: His 4.20 career mark is in the 55th percentile for AL pitchers;77 (2) Innings Pitched: Pieretti was in the top 12% for innings from 1945-1950;78 (3) Poor Team Defense: Evident by the higher fWAR on the struggling 1947-1949 teams. 79

The contrast between bWAR and fWAR illustrates the complexity of evaluating Pieretti’s pitching record. For a supposed “wartime” pitcher, he was a workhorse, defying the perception of being a “roster-filler.” Yet, his struggles with run prevention weaken arguments about his performance. Each WAR metric has its merits for capturing a pitcher’s effectiveness, but the most accurate assessment for Pieretti likely falls somewhere in between.

“Friends Of Marino Pieretti”

After his career ended in 1958, Pieretti initially returned to managing his San Francisco bar.80 Later, he worked as a sales manager for Associated Freight Lines and was Vice President of Sales for Arrow Trucking Company.81 Partly fulfilling his father’s wish, Pieretti was frequently an accordionist at local Italian weddings.82 To keep his arm in shape, he was at times the batting practice pitcher for the San Francisco Giants and Seals, and he relished taking part in charity ballgames.83

A common denominator of his post-playing days was his involvement in coaching. He managed youth, college, Peninsula Winter Rookie League, and semipro teams.84 Pieretti would comment about coaching, “The thing I enjoyed, was taking those kids, putting them in a park and teaching them fundamentals, discipline, seeing them develop.” Pieretti Field at Crocker-Amazon Park in San Francisco was named in his honor “for his devotion, desire, and deep love of baseball.” 85

Pieretti’s health deteriorated in the mid-1970s, stricken with what he called the “The Big Three” – cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.86 As his health worsened, so did his mental state. In 1977, some long-time friends and former players paid a visit to his house and insisted they go out to a favorite restaurant for lunch.87 It lifted Pieretti’s spirit so much they made it a monthly routine and kept inviting more folks from the local baseball community. The group, which included former major leaguers to “sandlotters,” was known as the “Friends of Marino Pieretti.”88 Over time, the luncheons grew so big they had to move out of restaurants into banquet halls.

His health improved as the cancer went into remission. But then he was in a car accident that broke five ribs, and he came down with an infection.89 Pieretti never recovered from this setback, and he died on January 30, 1981, in San Francisco.90 Fittingly, Pieretti is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Colma, California, just south of San Francisco. He is joined there by many of San Francisco’s most famous baseball players, including Crosetti, DiMaggio, and Lefty O’Doul.

The “Friends” gatherings continued after Pieretti’s death, including visits from DiMaggio.91 All money raised by the group is donated to local youth baseball organizations.92 A rite of the club is awarding, based on members’ service, green satin athletic jackets emblazoned with the group’s name. The members wear the jackets to the luncheons and, poignantly, to the members’ funerals. 93

Pieretti’s overall pitching record in professional baseball was the epitome of average, but his life and career were anything but “average.” As of 2025, Pieretti is one of only eight big-league players born in Italy.94 Yet, like his size, his birthplace does not define his career and legacy. Driven by a mix of stubbornness, self-confidence, and love of the game, he persevered through obstacles that would have made most players give up baseball. Pieretti’s enduring impact and San Francisco’s deep-rooted love of baseball are evident in the continued vibrancy of the “Friends of Marino Pieretti” group these many years after his passing.

Acknowledgments

The author thanks Donna Sylvestri, Marino Pieretti’s daughter, for her interview, and Mark Macrae of the Pacific Coast League Historical Society for sharing insights on Pieretti and the “Friends of Marino Pieretti” group. Also, thank you to the Baseball Hall of Fame for their help in providing Pieretti’s clipping file and assisting with additional research questions.

This biography was reviewed by Rory Costello and Mike Eisenbath and checked for accuract by members of SABR’s fact-checking team.

Photo credits: Courtesy of Tim Castelli.

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted Baldassaro, Lawrence, Beyond DiMaggio, (Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 2011); Dobin, Dick, The Grand Minor League, (Emeryville, CA: Woodford Press, 1999); Shuttleworth, Red, San Francisco Sandlot Baseball 1957-1966, (Stratford, WA: Bunchgrass Press Project, 2023); Spalding, John, Pacific Coast League Stars, (Manhattan, KS: Ag Press, 1994); White, Gaylon, The Bilko Athletic Club (New York: Rowman & Littlefield, 2014); and Freundlich, Larry, ed., Reaching for the Stars, (New York: Ballantine Books, 2003).

The author also consulted information from Pieretti’s clipping file at the National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Baseball Reference, FanGraphs, The Sporting News Contract Card, and Ancestry.com for birth and immigration information.

Notes

1 Pieretti’s birth year was often misstated as 1921, such as on his Sporting News Player Contract Card. The error may have originated from confusion with the year he immigrated to the US. Pieretti’s birth and immigration information gathered from: https://www.ancestry.com/search/?name=marino_pieretti&birth=1920&name_x=ps.

2 Arianna Dicicco, “A Brief History of Italians in San Francisco,” America Domani, February 9, 2023, https://americadomani.com/a-brief-history-of-italians-in-san-francisco/.

3 Exhibit Guide from “Italian Americans at Bat: From Sandlots to the Major Leagues,” Museo Italo Americano, https://sfmuseo.org/italian-americans-at-bat-catalog/: 3.

4 Vincent Flaherty, “Conking Cattle with Sledge-Hammer Produced Pieretti’s Pitching Power,” The Sporting News, August 9, 1945: 5.

5 Galileo High School, Baseball Reference, https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Galileo_High_School.

6 Gaylon White, The Bilko Athletic Club (New York: Rowman & Littlefield, 2014): 200.

7 John Keller, “Win, Lose or Draw,” Washington Evening Star, March 29, 1945: 16.

8 National Baseball Hall of Fame Clipping File for Marino Pieretti: Handwritten, undated letter from Pieretti describing his early career. The author inquired about the letter’s provenance, but the Hall of Fame had no background information to share.

9 Bucky Walter, “When a benefactor got cuffed around,” San Francisco Examiner, January 28, 1980: 54.

10 The term “sandlot baseball” originated in San Francisco. Baseball in Northern California, the SABR 28 Convention Journal: 60; “Second No-Hit Game,” San Francisco Examiner, May 9, 1938: 20.

11 James Nealon, “Playgrounds Build Baseball Bleachers,” San Francisco Examiner, July 11, 1938: 20.

12 Bob Brachman, “Beating ‘Round the Bushers,” San Francisco Examiner, March 6, 1939: 22.

13 Flaherty, “Conking Cattle with Sledge-Hammer Produced Pieretti’s Pitching Power.”

14 Clifford Bloodgood, “A Little Beaver Who Was Caught in the Draft,” Baseball Magazine, November 1945: 405.

15 Bucky Walter, “As Others See It,” Sacramento Union, April 14, 1953: 6.

16 WT Bentley, “Faccio Holds E.P. Hitters in Check,” El Paso Times, June 10, 1941: 8.

17 White, The Bilko Athletic Club: 202; Shirley Povich, “This Morning with Shirley Povich,” Washington Post, July 17, 1945: 8.

18 “Dozen Players Due to Report for ‘44 Play,” Portland Oregonian, January 23, 1944: 35.

19 Calculated based on information from Baseball Reference and the 1942 Sporting News Record Book. Baseball Reference information is incomplete regarding AZ-TX league games pitched and league ERA. The Sporting News Record Book excludes 19 pitchers with less than 5 games.

20 “West Whips East, 3-1, In A-T All-Star Game,” El Paso Times, June 26, 1941: 9.

21 Hall of Fame Clipping File for Marino Pieretti.

22 Bob Ingram, “Baseball or Burlesque?” El Paso Herald-Post, February 14, 1942: 8.

23 Flaherty, “Conking Cattle with Sledge-Hammer Produced Pieretti’s Pitching Power.”

24 According to Baseball Reference, there were 41 minor leagues in 1941; 31 in 1942; 10 in 1943; 10 in 1944, and 12 in 1945.

25 “Sherrys to Meet Golden Glow Nine,” Oakland Post Enquirer, March 20, 1943: 9.

26 “Semipro Notes,” San Francisco Examiner, March 31, 1943: 32.

27 L.H. Gregory, “Pint Size Blocked Sale of Pieretti, ‘$50,000 Hurler’ Drafted by Nats,” The Sporting News, March 15, 1945: 8.

28 John Spalding, Pacific Coast League Stars (Manhattan, KS: Ag Press, 1994): 117.

29 Gregory, “Pint Size Blocked Sale of Pieretti, ‘$50,000 Hurler’ Drafted by Nats.”

30 Flaherty, “Conking Cattle with Sledge-Hammer Produced Pieretti’s Pitching Power.”

31 L.H. Gregory, “Greg’s Gossip,” Portland Oregonian, July 23, 1944: 39.

32 L.H. Gregory, “Pieretti Gets No. 20; Helser Notches 18th,” Portland Oregonian, August 21, 1944: 15.

33 Emmons Byrne, “Pieretti in 5-to-0 Win Over Salvo”, Oakland Tribune, September 15, 1944: 19.

34 “Pieretti, Seats Lost in Draft,” Oakland Tribune, November 1, 1944: 18. L.H. Gregory, “Greg’s Gossip,” Portland Oregonian, October 12, 1944: 12.

35 Additional holdouts by Pieretti were: Washington 1946, Portland 1952, and Sacramento 1953 – 1955.

36 Walter Haight, “Griffs’ Fight Year’s Surprise,” The Sporting News, May 3, 1945: 9.

37 Clay Davenport, “WWII Difficulty: How Much Does Wartime Affect Quality of Play?” Baseball Prospectus, April 21, 2003: https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/1817/wwii-difficulty-how-much-does-wartime-affect-quality-of-play/.

38 Buck O’Neill, “Pieretti Winner in Major Debut with 14-Hit Feat,” Washington Times Herald, April 20, 1945: 32.

39 The longest debut is Pete Hennig on April 17, 1914, 13 innings in a 4-3 victory with two ER. Doc Newton on April 26, 1901, went 12 innings in debut in an 8-7 victory with five ER. Source: https://stathead.com/tiny/X0kf1.

40 Buck O’Neill, “Pieretti Heroic in Loss; Etten’s Hitting Decides,” Washington Times Herald, April 29, 1945: 25. Note: Baseball Reference shows no intentional walks for Pieretti in the game, but the Times Herald story mentions two intentional walks.

41 The other pitchers were Bob Feller on August 7, 1941 gave up two earned runs on 13 hits and 11 walks (4 intentional) in 13 innings, in 4-3 loss and Rudy May who on September 17, 1973 gave up two earned runs on 10 hits and 11 walks (five intentional) in 12 ⅔ innings in a 3-2 loss. Source: https://stathead.com/tiny/vzaQU.

42 “Senators Seek Rookie Duel,” New York Daily News, June 10, 1945: 71.

43 John Keller, “Griff Officially Protests Loss of First Game to A’s Yesterday,” Washington Evening Star, September 24, 1945: 8.

44 Fredric Frommer, “The Misfits of Summer,” Washingtonian.com, April 30, 2017: https://www.washingtonian.com/2017/04/30/how-the-washington-senators-almost-won-world-series-world-war-ii/.

45 FIP is similar to Earned Run Average but only uses walks, strikeouts, and home runs. It measures “if the pitcher were to have experienced league average results on balls in play” per https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Fielding_Independent_Pitching.

46 57 pitchers qualified with 154 or more innings for the year. Source:  https://stathead.com/tiny/Zfiss

47 Frederick Lieb, “Strongest All-Freshman Team Since ‘41 Named,” The Sporting News, November 1, 1945: 7.

48 Flaherty, “Conking Cattle with Sledge-Hammer Produced Pieretti’s Pitching Power.”

49 Bloodgood, “A Little Beaver Who Was Caught in the Draft.”

50 Donna Sylvestri, Marino Pieretti’s daughter, in an interview with the author on June 10, 2024, mentioned that remarks about her father’s height did not bother him, because he carried a “macho” attitude.

51 Le Pacini, “The Best Medicine of All,” San Francisco Examiner, May 6, 1979: 473.

52 “Season Ends for Pieretti,” The Sporting News, September 3, 1947: 11.

53 “Harrist-Pieretti Deal to Help Both Clubs, in Kuhel’s Opinion,” Washington Evening Star, June 9, 1948: 17.

54 Joe Reichler, “Pieretti Trys (sic) for Phillies,” (Venice, California) Evening Vanguard, March 29, 1956: 16.

55 “Major League Flashes,” The Sporting News, October 6, 1948: 23.

56 As a starter in 9 games, he was 2–5 with an ERA of 7.93, while in 74 innings over 30 games in relief, he went 2–1 with a 4.26 ERA.

57 Irving Vaughn, “White Sox Sign Marino Pieretti, Philley, Majeski,” Chicago Tribune, January 24, 1950: 29.

58 Harry Jones, “Pieretti Comes Here on Waivers,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, April 19, 1950: 28.

59 Joe Trimble, “Yanks Paste Indians, 8-2; DiMag Gets 2,000th Hit,” New York Daily News, June 21, 1950: 407.

60 Carl Reich, “On the Sandlots,” San Francisco Examiner, October 16, 1951: 25.

61 Curley Grieve, “Marino Pieretti Nearer Home,” San Francisco Examiner, December 11, 1952:  44.

62 Solons was a term for ancient Greek Senators, in recognition of Sacramento being the capital of California.

63 “Pacific Coast League,” The Sporting News, August 11, 1954: 26; Red Shuttleworth, San Francisco Sandlot Baseball 1957-1966 (Stratford, WA: Bunchgrass Press Project, 2023): Player Profiles.

64 Bill Conlin, “Get Ready, Men! Chick Will be Hard to Handle,” Sacramento Union, September 14, 1955: 6.

65 Art Morrow, “Mayo Picked Chick on Trip to Caribbean,” The Sporting News, December 14, 1955: 21.

66 Hank Hollingworth, “Sports Merry-go-Round,” Long Beach (California) Press-Telegram, April 4, 1956: 25.

67 Hank Hollingworth “Sports Merry-go-Round,” Long Beach Press-Telegram, April 27, 1956: 16.

68 White, The Bilko Athletic Club: 243.

69 Tony Cordaro, “Talk of Split Western Season—Topeka Reason,” Des Moines Tribune, June 4, 1957: 18.

70 “Modesto Hires Pieretti as Pitcher-Coach,” Sacramento Bee, February 20, 1958: 33.

71 “California League,” The Sporting News, August 13, 1958: 43.

72 White, The Bilko Athletic Club: 203.

73 Baseball Reference did not include games Pieretti pitched in 1941 with El Paso. The 1942 Sporting News Record Book shows he pitched in 60 games, which was added to the BB-Ref games total of 557. Wins, losses, earned runs, and innings from 1941 were included in Baseball Reference.

74 Estimate of additional innings: Semipro – 150 innings annually in 1938-1940 & 1942; 75 innings annually in 1941, 1943-1958; Caribbean Leagues – 50 innings annually in 1952, 1953. Totals approximately 2,000 additional innings.

75 bWAR uses league-specific replacement levels. Comparing Pieretti only to AL pitchers ensures a more accurate and applicable evaluation. Though fWAR is normalized across MLB, since Pieretti was never in the NL, his ranking within the AL is the most relevant for comparison since it reflects the competition he faced. More information on bWAR: https://www.baseball-reference.com/about/war_explained.shtml and fWAR: https://library.fangraphs.com/war/differences-fwar-rwar/.

76 The table’s statistics are from Baseball Reference, except for FIP and fWAR, which are sourced from FanGraphs.

77 FIP is the primary driver of fWAR, which assumes a pitcher has league-average defensive support.

78 Innings pitched more positively impacts fWAR than bWAR. Due to bWAR being based on actual runs allowed, it does not scale with innings pitched, and pitchers are not inherently rewarded for throwing more innings. Since FIP is scaled per inning, a pitcher who throws more innings at the same FIP level will accumulate more fWAR.

79 Poor team defense negatively impacts bWAR, but not fWAR. Because bWAR is focused on earned plus unearned runs allowed, poor team defense will negatively impact metric. fWAR assumes a league-average defense, mitigating a poor defense’s impact on metric.

80 “Pieretti is Released to Help Trim Club Expense,” Modesto (California) Bee, July 31, 1958: 6.

81 Curley Grieve, “The Perfesser Fools ‘Em All–He’s Still Having Fun,” San Francisco Examiner, May 18, 1963: 43. “People in Business”, San Francisco Chronicle, July 29, 1975: 45.

82 Baseball Reference Bullpen, https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Marino_Pieretti.

83 “Giants ‘Unsung’ Pitcher Enjoys Batting Practice,” Oakland Tribune, June 2, 1965: 41.  Donna Sylvestri, Marino Pieretti’s daughter, in an interview with the author on June 10, 2024, stated his enjoyment of participating in charity baseball games.

84 Bucky Walter, “The Evening Muse,” San Francisco Examiner, November 28, 1979: 58.  Bill Jones, “Peninsula Opens Third Campaign with Eight Clubs,” The Sporting News, September 27, 1961: 26; Prescott Sullivan, “Full-time Booster,” San Francisco Examiner, December 6, 1971: 56.

85 White, The Bilko Athletic Club: 203

86 White, The Bilko Athletic Club: 204

87 Carl Nolte, “Old ballplayers lift a glass to Marino Pieretti,” SFGate, January 30, 2011: https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/nativeson/article/Old-ballplayers-lift-a-glass-to-Marino-Pieretti-2461407.php.

88 Exhibit Guide from “Italian Americans at Bat: From Sandlots to the Major Leagues,” Museo Italo Americano, https://sfmuseo.org/italian-americans-at-bat-catalog/: 15.

89 Mark Macrae, President of Pacific Coast League Historical Society, interview with author on May 9, 2024.

90 “Ex-Solon Hurler Dies,” Sacramento Bee, January 31, 1981: 48.

91 White, The Bilko Athletic Club: 205.

92 Horace Hinshaw, “Loving Baseball for 81 Years,” Pacifica (California) Tribune, November 25 2009: 20, https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=PTP20091125&e=——-en–20–1–txt-txIN——–

93 Daughter Donna Sylvestri mentioned the impact of seeing the members in their jackets at funerals.

94 The eight Italian-born players, in chronological order: Lou Polli, Julio Bonetti, Pieretti, Rinaldo “Rugger” Ardizoia, Hank Biasatti, Reno Bertoia, Alex Liddi, and Samuel Aldegheri.