Sam Mele
Encyclopedia
Sabath Anthony "Sam" Mele (born January 21, 1922 in Astoria, New York) is a former right fielder
, manager
, coach
and scout in Major League Baseball
. As a manager, he led the Minnesota Twins
to their first American League
championship in .
and Al Cuccinello
, but did not play baseball until he attended William Cullen Bryant High School
. The high school gave up baseball after his freshman year, but Mele played with other local baseball teams. Mentored by his uncle Tony, Mele gained major league attention and worked out with several teams while still in high school. After high school, Mele attended New York University
. In 1940, he broke his leg sliding into third base but, in 1941, he posted a batting average
of .405, and in 1942, he hit .369. He also excelled as a basketball
player. NYU basketball head coach
Howard Cann
called Mele one of the finest players he ever coached. In the summer of 1941, Mele also played baseball for the Burlington, Vermont
team of the Northern League where he made contact with the Boston Red Sox
and signed a five-figure contract. But before he could join the Sox, he first signed up for the United States Marine Corps
in 1942 and was called in July 1943. As part of the V-12 Navy College Training Program
, Mele played baseball for Red Rolfe
at Yale University
. He was sent to the Pacific Ocean
where he was able to play baseball with Joe DiMaggio
and others. Mele led the Navy league with a .358 average in 1944. In 1946, after the Marines, Mele joined the Red Sox in Sarasota, Florida
before being sent to the Louisville Colonels and, later, the Eastern League Scranton Red Sox
. Mele won the Eastern League Most Valuable Player
award, leading the league in average (.342), total bases
and triple
s. The following year, the Boston Red Sox
went into spring with uncertainty at the right field position, but Mele won the job with a 5-for-5 performance, and hit .302 for the season. He also substituted well in center field when Dom DiMaggio
was injured.
During his playing days (1947–56), Mele saw duty with six major league clubs: the Boston Red Sox
, Washington Senators
, Chicago White Sox
, Baltimore Orioles
, Cincinnati Reds
and Cleveland Indians
, batting
.267 with 80 home run
s in 1,046 games. He batted and threw right-handed. Along the way, he acquired the nickname "Sam" from his initials.
after moving from Washington. He had been a coach for the Senators in and under Cookie Lavagetto
. With the '61 Twins struggling, Mele filled in as manager while Lavagetto took a seven-game leave of absence in early June. He then formally succeeded to the job later in the month. The Twins moved up two places in the standings under Mele, finishing seventh.
But fortified by young players such as Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew
, Jim Kaat
, Zoilo Versalles
and Bob Allison
, the Twins challenged the powerful New York Yankees
in before placing second. After finishing third in , the team suffered through a poor season in , leading to speculation that Mele would be replaced by his new third base coach, Billy Martin
.
, batting champion Tony Oliva
, and pitcher Mudcat Grant
, who won 21 games, Minnesota won 102 games and coasted to the league title. (The Yankees finished sixth.) Minnesota took a two-game lead in the 1965 World Series
, but the superior pitching of the Los Angeles Dodgers
' Sandy Koufax
, Don Drysdale
and Claude Osteen
took its toll, and Los Angeles
won in seven games.
The Twins won 13 fewer games, and ended up as runners-up to the Baltimore Orioles
. Mele also became embroiled in a clash between two of his coaches, pitching tutor Johnny Sain
and future manager Billy Martin
. His action (or inaction) alienated him from some of the players. The club swung a major trade for pitcher
Dean Chance
during the offseason and unveiled star rookie Rod Carew
in . Hopes and expectations were high in Minnesota, but when the Twins were only .500 after 50 games, Mele was fired. His successor was not Martin, as had been anticipated, but longtime minor league
manager Cal Ermer
.
Mele's record as a manager was 524-436 (.546). He never managed again, but returned to the Red Sox as a scout for 25 years.
Right fielder
A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...
, manager
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
, coach
Coach (baseball)
In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, or head coach, who determines the lineup and decides how to substitute players during the game...
and scout in 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...
. As a manager, he led the Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
to their first American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
championship in .
Playing career
Mele was the nephew of major league baseball players TonyTony Cuccinello
Anthony Francis 'Tony' Cuccinello was a second baseman in Major League Baseball who played from through for the Cincinnati Reds , Brooklyn Dodgers , Boston Bees/Braves , New York Giants and Chicago White Sox . Cuccinelo batted and threw right-handed...
and Al Cuccinello
Al Cuccinello
Alfred Edward Cuccinello was a second baseman in Major League Baseball who played briefly for the New York Giants during the 1935 season. Listed at 5' 10", 165 lb., Cuccinello batted and threw right-handed...
, but did not play baseball until he attended William Cullen Bryant High School
William Cullen Bryant High School
William Cullen Bryant High School, or William C. Bryant High School, and Bryant High School for short, is a secondary school located in Queens, New York City, New York, United States serving grades 9 through 12.-Name:...
. The high school gave up baseball after his freshman year, but Mele played with other local baseball teams. Mentored by his uncle Tony, Mele gained major league attention and worked out with several teams while still in high school. After high school, Mele attended New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
. In 1940, he broke his leg sliding into third base but, in 1941, he posted a batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
of .405, and in 1942, he hit .369. He also excelled as a basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player. NYU basketball head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
Howard Cann
Howard Cann
Howard Gardsell Cann was an American sportsman best known as the long-time men's basketball coach at New York University. He was also an Olympic shot putter and a college basketball and football player.- Playing career :...
called Mele one of the finest players he ever coached. In the summer of 1941, Mele also played baseball for the Burlington, Vermont
Burlington, Vermont
Burlington is the largest city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the shire town of Chittenden County. Burlington lies south of the U.S.-Canadian border and some south of Montreal....
team of the Northern League where he made contact with the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
and signed a five-figure contract. But before he could join the Sox, he first signed up for the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
in 1942 and was called in July 1943. As part of the V-12 Navy College Training Program
V-12 Navy College Training Program
The V-12 Navy College Training Program was designed to supplement the force of commissioned officers in the United States Navy during World War II...
, Mele played baseball for Red Rolfe
Red Rolfe
Robert Abial "Red" Rolfe was an American third baseman, manager and front-office executive in Major League Baseball. A native of Penacook, New Hampshire, he is one of the most prominent players to come from the Granite State...
at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. He was sent to the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
where he was able to play baseball with Joe DiMaggio
Joe DiMaggio
Joseph Paul "Joe" DiMaggio , nicknamed "Joltin' Joe" and "The Yankee Clipper," was an American Major League Baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career for the New York Yankees. He is perhaps best known for his 56-game hitting streak , a record that still stands...
and others. Mele led the Navy league with a .358 average in 1944. In 1946, after the Marines, Mele joined the Red Sox in Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota is a city located in Sarasota County on the southwestern coast of the U.S. state of Florida. It is south of the Tampa Bay Area and north of Fort Myers...
before being sent to the Louisville Colonels and, later, the Eastern League Scranton Red Sox
Scranton Red Sox
The Scranton Red Sox were a minor league baseball team based in Scranton, Pennsylvania. They played from 1939 to 1943 and from 1946 to 1951, and they played in the Eastern League.-Year-by-year record:...
. Mele won the Eastern League Most Valuable Player
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
award, leading the league in average (.342), total bases
Total bases
In baseball statistics, total bases refers to the number of bases a player has gained with hits, i.e., the sum of his hits weighted by 1 for a single, 2 for a double, 3 for a triple and 4 for a home run.Only bases attained from hits count toward this total....
and triple
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
s. The following year, the Boston Red Sox
1947 Boston Red Sox season
The 1947 Boston Red Sox season involved the Red Sox finishing 3rd in the American League with a record of 83 wins and 71 losses.- Offseason :* November 1, 1946: Virgil Stallcup drafted from the Red Sox by the Cincinnati Reds in the 1946 rule 5 draft....
went into spring with uncertainty at the right field position, but Mele won the job with a 5-for-5 performance, and hit .302 for the season. He also substituted well in center field when Dom DiMaggio
Dom DiMaggio
Dominic Paul DiMaggio , nicknamed "The Little Professor", was a Major League Baseball center fielder. He played his entire 11-year baseball career for the Boston Red Sox...
was injured.
During his playing days (1947–56), Mele saw duty with six major league clubs: the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
, Washington Senators
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
, Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
, Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
, Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
and Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
, batting
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
.267 with 80 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s in 1,046 games. He batted and threw right-handed. Along the way, he acquired the nickname "Sam" from his initials.
Managing career
Mele became pilot of the Twins on June 23, , the team's first season in MinnesotaMinnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
after moving from Washington. He had been a coach for the Senators in and under Cookie Lavagetto
Cookie Lavagetto
Harry Arthur "Cookie" Lavagetto was a third baseman, manager and coach in American Major League Baseball. He is most widely known as the pinch hitter whose double ruined Bill Bevens' no-hitter in Game 4 of the 1947 World Series and gave his Brooklyn Dodgers a breathtaking victory over the New...
. With the '61 Twins struggling, Mele filled in as manager while Lavagetto took a seven-game leave of absence in early June. He then formally succeeded to the job later in the month. The Twins moved up two places in the standings under Mele, finishing seventh.
But fortified by young players such as Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew
Harmon Killebrew
Harmon Clayton Killebrew , nicknamed "Killer" and "Hammerin' Harmon", was an American professional baseball first baseman, third baseman, and left fielder. During his 22-year career in Major League Baseball , he played for the Washington Senators, a team which later became the Minnesota Twins, and...
, Jim Kaat
Jim Kaat
James Lee "Jim" Kaat , nicknamed "Kitty", is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball for the Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins , Chicago White Sox , Philadelphia Phillies , New York Yankees , and St...
, Zoilo Versalles
Zoilo Versalles
Zoilo Casanova Versalles Rodriguez , nicknamed "Zorro", was a Cuban shortstop in Major League Baseball, who was considered a solid leadoff man, and a good baserunner whose speed helped him to cover a huge area at shortstop...
and Bob Allison
Bob Allison
William Robert "Bob" Allison was born in Raytown, Missouri and was a Major League Baseball outfielder and right-handed batter who played in the American League for the Washington Senators / Minnesota Twins from to ....
, the Twins challenged the powerful New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
in before placing second. After finishing third in , the team suffered through a poor season in , leading to speculation that Mele would be replaced by his new third base coach, Billy Martin
Billy Martin
Alfred Manuel "Billy" Martin, Jr. was an American Major League Baseball second baseman and manager. He is best known as the manager of the New York Yankees, a position he held five different times...
.
1965 American League championship
The 1965 Twins broke the Yankees' stranglehold on the American League pennant. Led by Versalles, who was named the American League's Most Valuable PlayerMLB Most Valuable Player Award
The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award is an annual Major League Baseball award, given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League. Since 1931, it has been awarded by the Baseball Writers Association of America...
, batting champion Tony Oliva
Tony Oliva
Tony Pedro Oliva is a former Major League Baseball right fielder and designated hitter. He played his entire 15-year baseball career for the Minnesota Twins . He batted left-handed and threw right-handed...
, and pitcher Mudcat Grant
Mudcat Grant
James Timothy "Mudcat" Grant is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Cleveland Indians , Minnesota Twins , Los Angeles Dodgers , Montreal Expos , St. Louis Cardinals , Oakland Athletics and Pittsburgh Pirates...
, who won 21 games, Minnesota won 102 games and coasted to the league title. (The Yankees finished sixth.) Minnesota took a two-game lead in the 1965 World Series
1965 World Series
The 1965 World Series featured the National League champion Los Angeles Dodgers against the American League champion Minnesota Twins, who had won their first pennant since 1933 when the team was known as the Washington Senators...
, but the superior pitching of the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
' Sandy Koufax
Sandy Koufax
Sanford "Sandy" Koufax is a former left-handed baseball pitcher who played his entire 12-year Major League Baseball career for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers...
, Don Drysdale
Don Drysdale
Donald Scott "Don" Drysdale was a Major League Baseball player and Hall of Fame right-handed pitcher with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was one of the dominant starting pitchers of the 1960s, and became a radio and television broadcaster following his playing career...
and Claude Osteen
Claude Osteen
Claude Wilson Osteen , nicknamed "Gomer" because of his resemblance to Gomer Pyle, is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He pitched for six different teams: the Cincinnati Redlegs/Reds , Washington Senators , Los Angeles Dodgers , Houston Astros , St...
took its toll, and Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
won in seven games.
The Twins won 13 fewer games, and ended up as runners-up to the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
. Mele also became embroiled in a clash between two of his coaches, pitching tutor Johnny Sain
Johnny Sain
John Franklin Sain was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who was best known for teaming with left-hander Warren Spahn on the Boston Braves teams from 1946 to 1951...
and future manager Billy Martin
Billy Martin
Alfred Manuel "Billy" Martin, Jr. was an American Major League Baseball second baseman and manager. He is best known as the manager of the New York Yankees, a position he held five different times...
. His action (or inaction) alienated him from some of the players. The club swung a major trade for 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...
Dean Chance
Dean Chance
Wilmer Dean Chance is a former American Major League Baseball pitcher. Over the right hander's 11-year major league career, he would play for the Los Angeles Angels, Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Indians, New York Mets, and Detroit Tigers...
during the offseason and unveiled star rookie Rod Carew
Rod Carew
Rodney Cline "Rod" Carew is a former Major League Baseball first baseman, second baseman and coach. He played from 1967 to 1985 for the Minnesota Twins and the California Angels and was elected to the All-Star game every season except his last. In 1991, Carew was inducted into the National...
in . Hopes and expectations were high in Minnesota, but when the Twins were only .500 after 50 games, Mele was fired. His successor was not Martin, as had been anticipated, but longtime minor league
Minor league
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities. This term is used in North America with regard to several organizations competing in...
manager Cal Ermer
Cal Ermer
Calvin Coolidge Ermer was an American second baseman, manager, coach and scout in Major League Baseball. He was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and served in the United States Marine Corps during World War II...
.
Mele's record as a manager was 524-436 (.546). He never managed again, but returned to the Red Sox as a scout for 25 years.
External links
- Cool of the Evening: The 1965 Minnesota Twins - Web bio by author of Twins' book