Lou Chiozza
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Louis Peo Chiozza (May 11, 1910 – February 28, 1971) was an American professional
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
player who played a total of six seasons with the
Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...
and
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of
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.


Early life

Chiozza was born on Tuesday, May 11, 1910, in
Tallulah, Louisiana Tallulah ( ) is a city in, and the parish seat of, Madison Parish in northeastern Louisiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,286, down from 7,335 in 2010. As this was historically a center of agriculture since th ...
. As a youngster, Lou's family moved to
Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...
, where he developed into an all-around athlete engaging in basketball, boxing, track, football and handball, as well as baseball. As a multi-sport star in High School, Lou suffered a serious knee injury while playing football which almost ended his career, yet he came back from that to become one of the fastest men in professional baseball. Lou attended Christian Brothers High School, as did future major league baseball players and world series participants Phil Gagliano, Tim McCarver, and current Philadelphia Phillies infielder Logan Forsythe. Chiozza retired from the other sports when he signed to play shortstop for the Memphis Chicks in 1931.


Family ties

Lou was 23 years old when he was drafted by the
Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...
at the close of the 1933 season, and alternated between the infield and outfield for them until the close of the 1936 season. Lou's brother Dino Chiozza appeared in two games for the 1935 Phillies (appearing as a late-inning defensive replacement in games on July 14 and 15) and they were one of the first sets of brothers to play on the same team in major league baseball. Another brother, Joe, also played professional baseball but did not make it out of the minor leagues.


Leadoff batter in first night game

While playing for the Phillies, Chiozza was the first major league player in history to bat in a major league night game. He was the leadoff man for the Phillies when he appeared against the Reds in Cincinnati in the first night game in the majors on May 24, 1935. (Chiozza grounded out to shortstop.) In attendance at the game was
Ford Frick Ford Christopher Frick (December 19, 1894 – April 8, 1978) was an American sportswriter and baseball executive. After working as a teacher and as a sportswriter for the ''New York Journal-American, New York American'', he served as public rela ...
, president of the National League. In the
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, president
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pressed a button that lit up
Crosley Field Crosley Field was a Major League Baseball park in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was the home field of the National League's Cincinnati Reds from 1912 through June 24, 1970, and the original Cincinnati Bengals football team, members of the second (1937) a ...
, where a crowd of 20,422 fans, sizable for a last-place team in the middle of the
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, came out to watch the game. Also in 1935, in a game played on July 7, Lou Chiozza tied an NL record with 11 assists in a 9–1 win over Boston.


Lou supplies end for Babe Ruth

On May 30, 1935, the Phillies were playing against the
Boston Braves The Boston Braves were a Major League Baseball club that originated in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, and played from 1871 to 1952. Afterwards they moved to History of the Atlanta Braves#Milwaukee, Milwaukee (and became the Milwaukee Braves). ...
at
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, the old cracker-box park of the old
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.
Babe Ruth George Herman "Babe" Ruth (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional Baseball in the United States, baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nickna ...
was playing left field at age 40 for the Braves in the opening game of a doubleheader. Just a few days before the Philadelphia series, the Babe hit three home runs in Pittsburgh -- however he was still hitting under .200 for the season, and his fielding was noticeably weak. In fact, Ruth had suffered an embarrassing incident only two days before in Cincinnati, wherein the fifth inning of a game at
Crosley Field Crosley Field was a Major League Baseball park in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was the home field of the National League's Cincinnati Reds from 1912 through June 24, 1970, and the original Cincinnati Bengals football team, members of the second (1937) a ...
several Reds players (either by chance or by design) hit ball after ball into left field; Ruth misplayed or mishandled the majority of them. Although no errors were charged to Ruth, five runs were scored in the inning on what should have been routine outs. Two days later, the stage was set for Ruth's very last major league appearance ... although no one knew it would be happening. In the bottom of the first (of the first game) with two outs, Chiozza hit a short fly ball down the left field line that would have ordinarily at best been a double. Due to his advanced age and decreased mobility, Ruth stumbled after the ball in the outfield, wrenching his knee in the process. He did eventually catch up with the ball, relaying it to the shortstop, who threw the ball home to barely stop Chiozza from an inside-the-park home run. The inning ended, but as the other Braves players returned to the dugout, Ruth stood for a minute, then folded his glove and walked off the field into the clubhouse behind the centerfield fence. There was some applause, as it was clear Ruth was leaving the game (he exited virtually every game he played in 1935 early.) But he did not return for the second game, and never played another major league game again; his very last play on a major league field was the misplayed ball and outfield assist that eventually nailed Chiozza at the plate. The Babe knew he was done, and he officially retired a few days later on June 2, 1935. Chiozza went 3-for-4 in the game with 4 RBIs, in an 11-6 Phillies victory. But Chiozza recalled in his later life that he had wished Ruth had retired on a high note after hitting the three home runs in
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
rather than waiting to play the next series in Philadelphia.


Traded to Giants

On December 8, 1936, Lou was sold to the
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...
, for George Scharein and cash, and was then used as a utility infielder and outfielder by the Giants. He played second, third and the outfield with the Giants through the 1939 season. Towards the end of the 1939 season, Chiozza collided with outfielder Jo-Jo Moore while chasing a pop-up hit by
St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...
Jim Brown, which resulted in a compound leg fracture ending his season. Lou attempted a return in 1940, but was not able to return to his pre-injury level of play at which he retired from the game. He had a lifetime batting average of .277, with .304 in his rookie year the best mark of his career.Harry Craft: Mick Mentor Had Seen All In Baseball
/ref>


Later life in Memphis

Following his retirement from baseball, Chiozza moved back to Memphis where he worked as a local liquor dealer and grocery store owner. He married the former Catherine Lucchesi and had five children. Chiozza died on February 28, 1971, and is buried at Calvary Cemetery in Memphis.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chiozza, Lou 1910 births 1971 deaths Baseball players from Louisiana Beckley Black Knights players Jersey City Giants players Major League Baseball second basemen Memphis Chickasaws players Monroe Twins players New York Giants (baseball) players Philadelphia Phillies players Vicksburg Hill Billies players People from Tallulah, Louisiana 20th-century American sportsmen