Rugger Ardizoia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rinaldo Joseph "Rugger" Ardizoia (born November 20, 1919, in Oleggio, Italy) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. The 5"11", 180 lb. right-hander is one of only six Italian natives to ever play in the big leagues, appearing in one game for the New York Yankees in 1947.
The 27-year-old rookie took the mound on April 30, 1947 at Sportsmans Park in the bottom of the 7th inning with the Yankees trailing the St. Louis Browns. He pitched two innings for New York and faced a total of 10 batters, giving up four hits, a walk, and two earned runs. The final score was Browns 15, Yankees 5. Ardizoia was credited with a game finished.