Lou Chiozza
Encyclopedia
Louis Peo Chiozza is a former professional baseball
player who played a total of six seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies
and New York Giants
of Major League Baseball
.
. As a youngster, Lou's family moved to Memphis, Tennessee
where he developed into an all-around athlete engaging in basketball, boxing, track, football and handball, as well as baseball. As a multi-sport star in High School, Lou suffered a serious knee injury playing football and this injury almost ended his career, yet he came back from that injury to become one of the fastest men in professional baseball. Chiozza retired from the other sports when he signed to play shortstop for the Memphis Chicks
in 1931.
at the close of the 1933 season, and alternated between the infield and outfield for them until the close of the 1936 season. In 1935, Lou's brother, Dino Chiozza
was also drafted by the Phillies and they were one of the first sets of brothers to play on the same team in major league baseball. Another brother, Joe, also played professional baseball but didn't make it out of the minor leagues.
, president of the National League. In the White House
, president Franklin D. Roosevelt
pressed a button that lit up Crosley Field
, where a crowd of 20,422 fans, sizable for a last-place team in the middle of the Great Depression
, came out to watch the game. Also in 1935, Lou Chiozza tied an NL record with 11 assists in a 9-1 win over Boston.
at Baker Bowl
, the old cracker-box park of the old Philadelphia Nationals
. Babe Ruth
, playing left field at age 40 for the Braves, had been through for years but was still being exploited for his name. Just a few days before the Philadelphia series, the Babe hit three home runs in Pittsburgh. Chiozza, who had just been brought up from the Memphis Chicks, hit a short fly ball down the left field line that would have ordinarily at best been a double. Due to his advanced age and decrease mobility, Ruth stumbled after the ball in the outfield. The shortstop ran out, retrieved the ball and threw the ball home to barely stop Chiozza from an inside the park home run. Many in the park believed that the umpire felt sorry for the aging star and called an obviously safe Chiozza out at home plate. After Ruth realized that he was so slow that Lou almost made a home run on an ordinary base hit, he stood for a minute, folded his glove and walked off the field into the clubhouse. The Babe knew he was done and he officially retired a few days later on June 2, 1935. Lou recalled in his later life that he had wished Ruth had retired on a high note after hitting the three home runs in Pittsburgh rather than waiting to play the next series in Philadelphia.
, for George Scharein and cash, and was then used as a utility infielder and outfielder by the Giants. He played second, third and the outfield with the Giants through the 1939 season. Towards the end of the 1939 season, Chiozza collided with outfielder Jo-Jo Moore while chasing a pop-up hit by St. Louis Cardinals
Jim Brown, and this resulted in a compound leg fracture that ended his season. Lou attempted his return in 1940, but he was not able to return to his pre-injury level of play and then retired from the game. He had a lifetime batting average of .277, with .304 in his rookie year the best mark of his career.
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player who played a total of six seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
and New York Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
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...
.
Early life
Chiozza was born on Tuesday, May 11, 1910, in Tallulah, LouisianaTallulah, Louisiana
Tallulah is a city in and the parish seat of Madison Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 9,189 at the 2000 census...
. As a youngster, Lou's family moved to Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
where he developed into an all-around athlete engaging in basketball, boxing, track, football and handball, as well as baseball. As a multi-sport star in High School, Lou suffered a serious knee injury playing football and this injury almost ended his career, yet he came back from that injury to become one of the fastest men in professional baseball. Chiozza retired from the other sports when he signed to play shortstop for the Memphis Chicks
Memphis Chicks
The Memphis Chicks were an American minor league baseball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Chicks were charter members of the Southern Association from 1901 until November 18, 1960, when the club folded and was transferred to Macon, Georgia for 1961.The Chicks suffered a...
in 1931.
Family Ties
Lou was 23 years old when he was drafted by the Philadelphia PhilliesPhiladelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
at the close of the 1933 season, and alternated between the infield and outfield for them until the close of the 1936 season. In 1935, Lou's brother, Dino Chiozza
Dino Chiozza
Dino Joseph Chiozza was a Major League Baseball shortstop who played for one season. He played for the Philadelphia Phillies in two games during the 1935 Philadelphia Phillies season....
was also drafted by the Phillies and they were one of the first sets of brothers to play on the same team in major league baseball. Another brother, Joe, also played professional baseball but didn't make it out of the minor leagues.
Leadoff batter in first night game
While playing for the Phillies, Chiozza was the first major league player in history to bat in a major league night game. He was the leadoff man for the Phillies when he appeared against the Reds in Cincinnati in the first night game in the majors on May 24, 1935. In attendance at the game was Ford FrickFord Frick
Ford Christopher Frick was an American sportswriter and executive who served as president of the National League from to and as the third Commissioner of Major League Baseball from 1951 to . He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1970...
, president of the National League. In the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
, president Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
pressed a button that lit up Crosley Field
Crosley Field
Crosley Field was a Major League Baseball park located in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was the home field of the National League's Cincinnati Reds from 1912 through June 24, 1970, and the original Cincinnati Bengals football team, members of the second and third American Football League...
, where a crowd of 20,422 fans, sizable for a last-place team in the middle of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, came out to watch the game. Also in 1935, Lou Chiozza tied an NL record with 11 assists in a 9-1 win over Boston.
Lou supplies end for Babe Ruth
On May 29, 1935, the Phillies were playing against the Boston BravesAtlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
at Baker Bowl
Baker Bowl
Baker Bowl is the best-known popular name of a baseball park that formerly stood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Its formal name, painted on its outer wall, was National League Park. It was also initially known as Philadelphia Park or Philadelphia Base Ball Grounds.It was on a small...
, the old cracker-box park of the old Philadelphia Nationals
Philadelphia Nationals
Philadelphia Passon was an American soccer club based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that was a member of the professional American Soccer League.Before the 1941/42 season, the club became the Philadelphia Nationals...
. Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
, playing left field at age 40 for the Braves, had been through for years but was still being exploited for his name. Just a few days before the Philadelphia series, the Babe hit three home runs in Pittsburgh. Chiozza, who had just been brought up from the Memphis Chicks, hit a short fly ball down the left field line that would have ordinarily at best been a double. Due to his advanced age and decrease mobility, Ruth stumbled after the ball in the outfield. The shortstop ran out, retrieved the ball and threw the ball home to barely stop Chiozza from an inside the park home run. Many in the park believed that the umpire felt sorry for the aging star and called an obviously safe Chiozza out at home plate. After Ruth realized that he was so slow that Lou almost made a home run on an ordinary base hit, he stood for a minute, folded his glove and walked off the field into the clubhouse. The Babe knew he was done and he officially retired a few days later on June 2, 1935. Lou recalled in his later life that he had wished Ruth had retired on a high note after hitting the three home runs in Pittsburgh rather than waiting to play the next series in Philadelphia.
Traded to Giants
On December 8, 1936, Lou was sold to the New York GiantsSan Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
, for George Scharein and cash, and was then used as a utility infielder and outfielder by the Giants. He played second, third and the outfield with the Giants through the 1939 season. Towards the end of the 1939 season, Chiozza collided with outfielder Jo-Jo Moore while chasing a pop-up hit by St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
Jim Brown, and this resulted in a compound leg fracture that ended his season. Lou attempted his return in 1940, but he was not able to return to his pre-injury level of play and then retired from the game. He had a lifetime batting average of .277, with .304 in his rookie year the best mark of his career.