{"id":91420,"date":"2024-12-06T23:45:08","date_gmt":"2024-12-07T04:45:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=91420"},"modified":"2024-12-06T23:45:08","modified_gmt":"2024-12-07T04:45:08","slug":"restelli-pirates-great-mystery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/12\/06\/restelli-pirates-great-mystery\/","title":{"rendered":"A Pirates Slugger, Italian Meats and Cheeses, a Reds Pitcher, and a Dentist"},"content":{"rendered":"

The story of slugging outfielder Dino Restelli<\/a> is one of the great mysteries in the history of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates acquired him in a trade with the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League on June 10, 1949. After a surprising 83-71 record and fourth-place finish in 1948, the Bucs were looking to be a factor in the National League in 1949. Alas, on June 10, they were 18-31 and sat in seventh place.<\/p>\n

Dino Restelli Joins the Pirates<\/h2>\n

Thus, the addition of the bespectacled 24-year-old right-handed hitter was greeted enthusiastically by Pirates fans and the Pittsburgh media. It was front-page news in two of the three Pittsburgh daily newspapers. Restelli was hitting .351\/.433\/.556, 10 HR, and 65 RBI in 72 games for the Seals. The media played up his Italian heritage. His parents were born in Italy and his father was a chef. The papers noted that Dino wasn\u2019t such a bad cook himself. It didn\u2019t escape notice that he hailed from the same city<\/a> as the DiMaggio brothers, a trio of pretty fair Italian ballplayers in their own right. The press said he hit home runs like Joe<\/a>, wore glasses like Dominic<\/a>, and had a strong arm.<\/p>\n

“He Can’t Miss”<\/h3>\n

His manager in San Francisco, Lefty O\u2019Doul, said, \u201cRestelli needs somebody to constantly prod him and as long as he takes the game seriously, he can\u2019t miss in the majors.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Associated Press couldn\u2019t resist consulting another expert, albeit one whose judgment was perhaps biased. Pictured in a chef\u2019s hat and apron behind a large pot of spaghetti, Dino\u2019s father, Paul, said, \u201cHe has everything it takes. If they just play him and don\u2019t keep him on the bench, he\u2019ll make good. He can\u2019t lose.\u201d<\/p>\n

“I Couldn’t Imagine the Response”<\/h3>\n

The papers reported on Restelli\u2019s progress to Pittsburgh until he finally arrived. Like many northeastern cities in the United States, Pittsburgh was divided into ethnic neighborhoods and still is to an extent today, although today these sections aren\u2019t as \u201cethnic\u201d as they once were. Italians settled in Pittsburgh\u2019s Bloomfield, Oakland, and East Liberty sections, the latter of which Restelli lived in a rooming house. They were ready when Restelli hit the town.<\/p>\n

\u201cI couldn\u2019t imagine the response I received from the Italian community the first night of my stay in Pittsburgh,\u201d Restelli told me in a 1998 letter. \u201cThey gave me a night in an East Liberty Italian Club & presented me with a wristwatch.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI Could Tell from the Feel of the Bat\u201d<\/h3>\n

At last, he made his major league debut on June 14 against the Boston Braves at Forbes Field. He was hitless on that day. It was his second game with the Pirates that caused the baseball world to take notice of Restelli. Hitting third and playing right field, he went 3-for-5 with two home runs and five RBI against future Hall-of-Famer<\/a> Warren Spahn<\/a>. The second homer was a two-run shot in the bottom of the ninth inning. It brought the Pirates to within one run of the Braves as they mounted a comeback to win, 8-7. Restelli told Dan McGibbeny of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette<\/em>, \u201cIt sure was a thrill when I hit that first one. I could tell from the feel of the bat when it connected with Spahn\u2019s fast one that it\u2019d go all the way.”<\/p>\n

Restelli repeated the feat at Forbes Field on June 22, when he hit two home runs off another future Hall-of-Famer, Robin Roberts<\/a> of the Philadelphia Phillies, en route to a 12-3 triumph. They were his fourth and fifth homers of the season. Pirates fans drooled as they imagined the possibilities with a slugging outfield trio of Ralph Kiner<\/a>, Wally Westlake<\/a>, and Restelli.<\/p>\n

By Restelli\u2019s first 12 games, he was hitting .333\/.407\/.813, 7 HR, and 14 RBI. All of his homers came off the game\u2019s top pitchers. Besides Spahn and Roberts, there was Ralph Branca<\/a>, Larry Jansen<\/a>, and Curt Simmons<\/a>. He didn\u2019t hit any more bombs in June, but he finished the month hitting .356\/.424\/.763. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh\u2019s Italian community went crazy over its new hero.<\/p>\n

\n

Kyle Lewis of the @Mariners<\/a> is the first player in the live-ball era to hit a home run in 6 of his first 10 career games.<\/p>\n

The only other players with 6+ HR thru 10 career games?<\/p>\n

Aristides Aquino – 7 (2018-19)
\nTrevor Story – 7 (2016)
\nDino Restelli – 6 (1949)#TrueToTheBlue<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) September 21, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n