Ernie Fazio
Encyclopedia
Ernest Joseph Fazio (born January 25, 1942, at Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
) is a retired American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional baseball
Professional baseball
Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. In these leagues, and associated farm teams, players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system....
player. An infielder
Infielder
An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field.-Standard arrangement of positions:In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles...
, he played for the Houston Colt .45s (1962–1963) and Kansas City Athletics (1966) of Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
. Fazio attended Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University is a private, not-for-profit, Jesuit-affiliated university located in Santa Clara, California, United States. Chartered by the state of California and accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, it operates in collaboration with the Society of Jesus , whose...
, threw and batted right-handed, stood 5 in 7 in (1.7 m) tall and weighed 165 pounds (74.8 kg).
Fazio signed with the Colt .45s and split his first professional season, , between Houston's first-ever National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
team and its Triple-A affiliate, the Oklahoma City 89ers
Oklahoma RedHawks
The Oklahoma City RedHawks are a minor league baseball team based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The team, which plays in the Pacific Coast League, is the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros...
. In , he was able to play in 102 games for Houston by filling in at second base, third base and shortstop. He hit both of his major league home runs in that year, off lefthanders
Left-handed
Left-handedness is the preference for the left hand over the right for everyday activities such as writing. In ancient times it was seen as a sign of the devil, and was abhorred in many cultures...
Denny Lemaster
Denny Lemaster
Denver Clayton Lemaster Denver Clayton Lemaster Denver Clayton Lemaster (born (February 25, 1939 in Corona, California) was a Major League Baseball pitcher from 1962 to 1972 for the Milwaukee Braves, Atlanta Braves, Houston Astros, and Montreal Expos. During his decade-long career, LeMaster won 90...
and Hall of Famer Warren Spahn
Warren Spahn
Warren Edward Spahn was an American Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He played his entire 21-year baseball career in the National League. He won 20 games each in 13 seasons, including a 23-7 record when he was age 42...
of the Milwaukee Braves.
After the season, he was was the "player to be named later" in an earlier trade that sent Houston pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
Jesse Hickman
Jesse Hickman
Jesse Owens Hickman is an American former Major League Baseball player who pitched for the – Kansas City Athletics...
to the Athletics for slugger Jim Gentile
Jim Gentile
James Edward Gentile , also nicknamed "Diamond Jim", is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and left-handed batter who played with the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers ; Baltimore Orioles , Kansas City Athletics , Houston Astros and Cleveland Indians .A powerful slugger listed at 6' 4",...
. Despite his small stature, Fazio had shown power that year by hitting 23 home runs for Oklahoma City. He played in 27 games for the Athletics as a backup infielder during the season.
All told, Fazio appeared in 141 MLB games, and garnered 50 hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
in 274 at bats.