Dave Giusti

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Dave Giusti (born November 27, 1939, Seneca Falls, New York) was a Major League Baseball pitcher from 1962 to 1977.

Giusti attended Syracuse University, where he pitched for the Orange in the 1961 College World Series. He began his major league career as a starter for the Houston Colt .45s, later the Houston Astros, from 1962-68. Before the 1969 season, he was picked in the expansion draft by the San Diego Padres, who quickly traded him to the St. Louis Cardinals, for whom he pitched in 1969. Before the 1970 season, he was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Pirates manager Danny Murtaugh converted him to a relief pitcher, and he became one of the leading relievers in the National League. Giusti recorded over 20 saves in each of the next four years, and led the league with 30 saves in the Pirates' World Series-winning year of 1971. He appeared in three of the 1971 World Series games and was credited with a save in Game 4. Giusti won The Sporting News Reliever of the Year Award in 1971 and was named an NL All-Star in 1973.

Giusti's last year with Pittsburgh was 1976. Before the 1977 season, he was traded to the Oakland Athletics as part of a 10-player deal that also sent Tony Armas to the A's and brought Phil Garner to the Pirates. The A's later sold Giusti's contract to the Chicago Cubs, who released him at the end of the year.

Giusti's signature pitch was the palmball, similar in effect to an off-speed forkball or split-finger fastball.

After his baseball career, Giusti became a corporate sales manager for American Express. As of 2002, he was retired and living in Upper St. Clair, Pennsylvania.

In an article in 1976 in Esquire magazine, sportswriter Harry Stein published an "All Time All-Star Argument Starter," consisting of five ethnic baseball teams. Giusti was the relief pitcher on Stein's Italian team.

[edit] See also

• List of Major League Baseball saves champions
• List of Major League Baseball all-time saves leaders

[edit] Sources

• Emert, Rich. "Where are they now: Dave Giusti", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 2002-04-25. Retrieved on 2006-07-30. 

[edit] External links

• Statistics at baseball-reference.com