The Impressive Career of JOHNNY ANTONELLI
John August Antonelli was born in Rochester, New York, on April 12, 1930. His father August was born in the municipality of Casalbordino, a coastal town on the Adriatic Sea, just north of the city of Vasto, in the province of Chieti, in the region of Abruzzo.(In the 2007 census, Casalbordino had a population of 6,410.) Johnny’s father immigrated to New York in 1913. Johnny’s mother, Josephine Messore, was born in Buffalo. Both of his mother’s parents were born in Italy. The Bonus Rule went into effect in 1947 to prevent rich teams from signing all the top prospects. Johnny was a left-handed pitcher at Jefferson High School from which he graduated in June 1948.
Nine of the 16 major league teams in existence at that time bid for his services. On June 29, 1948, he signed with the Boston Braves for a bonus of $52,000. He went straight to the majors, so he never pitched in the minor leagues. On July 4, 1948, five days after signing, he pitched his first game for the Braves. Boston went on to win the 1948 National League pennant. In early 1951, Johnny was drafted into the U.S. Army and was stationed at Fort Myer in Arlington, Virginia. At the end of his two years of service, he rejoined the Braves for the start of the 1953 season at their new home in Milwaukee. As a regular member of the starting rotation, he finished fifth in the National League with an earned run average of 3.18.
In February 1954, he was traded to the New York Giants in a six-player deal for veteran outfielder Bobby Thomson who had hit the pennant-winning home run in 1951. In the middle of the 1954 season, Johnny was selected for the National League All-Star Team. During the entire season, he won 21 games and lost only seven. He led the National League with the most shutouts (six) and with the lowest earned run average of 2.30. In the World Series against the Cleveland Indians, he won Game 2 and earned a save in Game 4, as the Giants won in a fourgame sweep. As a result, he was given The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year Award. He then made the National League All-Star Team each year from 1956 through 1958. In 1959 the Giants moved to San Francisco where he again made the All-Star Team and won the first game against the American League on July 7. By the end of the season, he was tied for the lead in the National League for shutouts with four. In early 1961 he was traded to the Cleveland Indians.
On July 4, 1961, his contract was sold to the Milwaukee Braves. At the end of the season, his contract was sold again, this time to the expansion team New York Mets. Instead of reporting to the Mets for Spring training in 1962, he decided to retire at the age of 32. In 14 major league seasons, he appeared in 377 regular-season games, winning 126 of them against 110 losses. He pitched 102 complete nine-inning games, had 25 shutouts with the opposing team not scoring a single run, and also had 21 saves as a relief pitcher. He struck out 1,162 batters and walked only 687. His career earned run average was 3.34. After his baseball career, he returned to his home town of Rochester where for many years he ran a chain of 28 Firestone Tire stores. He died in Rochester on February 28, 2020, about six weeks short of his 90th birthday. He is survived by his second wife, Gail Harms, four children, Lisa, Donna, Regina, John Jr., and ten grandchildren. His first wife, Rosemarie, died in 2002.
(Editor’s Note: Many lifelong baseball fans miss the rhythm of the baseball season due to the pandemic and must be content with exploring the history of the national pastime. AMHS Board member Joseph “Sonny” Scafetta, Jr. has provided us with this look at the career of an accomplished pitcher with Abruzzo roots.)