Ed Spiezio

Edward Wayne Spiezio (born October 31, 1941) is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball who played from 1964 through 1972 for the St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres and Chicago White Sox. Listed at 5' 11", 180 lb., Spiezio batted and threw right handed. He was born in Joliet, Illinois.

Career

Spiezio spent five years with the Cardinals, being a member of the 1967 World Series champion team, even though he did not play in the Series.

Notably, he also collected the first hit, first home run, and scored the first run in San Diego Padres history. This took place at Opening Game on April 8, 1969, in the bottom of the fifth inning against Houston Astros right-hander Don Wilson.^[1]

In a nine-season career, Spiezio hit .238 (367-for-1544) with 39 home runs and 174 runs batted in, including 126 runs, 56 doubles, four triples, and 16 stolen bases in 554 games played.

Spiezio also played for four different Minor league teams in parts of five seasons spanning 1963–1972, posting a .263 average with 47 homers and 191 RBI in 383 games.

In between, he played for the Leones del Caracas and Tiburones de La Guaira clubs of the Venezuelan Winter League.^[2]

Facts

Ed and Scott Spiezio are regarded as the third father-son tandem in Cardinals' history. In addition, both of the Spiezios have won World Championships. As is aforementioned, Ed won two with the Cardinals in 1964 and 1967, while Scott won two with the Angels in 2002 and the Cardinals in 2006.

Personal

He is the father of Scott Spiezio, a former big leaguer who played with the Cardinals, Angels, Mariners and Braves.

See also

• List of second-generation Major League Baseball players

Sources

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• Retrosheet
• SABR BioProject
• Brody, Tom C. "Please, Please, Ed Spiezio, Won't You Please Pop Up?" Sports Illustrated, April 12, 1965.