Mark Andrew DiFelice (born August 23, 1976) is an American former Major League

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

. Growing up in Havertown, Pennsylvania, Mark played for Hilltop Baseball and is currently the only player from that league (established in 1963) to play in MLB. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

. He is currently working as a pitching coach for the Wilmington Blue Rocks.

Minor league career

DiFelice started his professional career as a part of the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

organization in 1998. He played his first season for their Class A (Short Season) affiliate, the Portland Rockies. In 1999, DiFelice advanced to the Class A-Advanced

Salem Avalanche Salem may refer to: Places Canada * Salem, Ontario, various places Germany * Salem, Baden-Württemberg, a municipality in the Bodensee district ** Salem Abbey (Reichskloster Salem), a monastery * Salem, Schleswig-Holstein Israel * Salem ...

. In 2000, he played for the Double-A

Carolina Mudcats The Carolina Mudcats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Zebulon, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh, North Carolina, Raleigh, and play their home games ...

. DiFelice also played part of the 2001 season for Carolina, while also pitching for the Triple-A

Colorado Springs Sky Sox The Colorado Springs Sky Sox were a Minor League Baseball team in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The team played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and was the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers (2015–2018), Colorado R ...

. In 2002, he was sent back down to the Class A (Short Season) Tri-City Dust Devils and Salem. In 2003, he played for the Rockies' new Double-A affiliate, the

Tulsa Drillers The Tulsa Drillers are a minor league baseball team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club. Stadium The Drillers play at ONEOK Field (pronounc ...

. In 2004, DiFelice switched to the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

organization, playing for their Triple-A

Ottawa Lynx The Ottawa Lynx were a Minor League Baseball team that competed in the Triple-A International League (IL) from 1993 to 2007. The team's home field was Lynx Stadium in Ottawa, Ontario. Over 15 seasons, the team was an affiliate of the Montreal Exp ...

. In 2005, DiFelice pitched for the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...

with their Triple-A

New Orleans Zephyrs New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz (South Korean band), The Boyz * New (album), ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** New (Paul McCartney song), "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * New (EP), ''New'' (EP), ...

and the independent Atlantic League's

Somerset Patriots The Somerset Patriots are an American professional Minor League Baseball (MiLB) team based in Bridgewater, New Jersey. They are the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They compete in the Eastern League (EL), known as the Double-A Nort ...

. He stayed with the Atlantic League for 2006, playing for the Camden Riversharks. DiFelice returned to affiliated baseball in 2007, playing for the

' Double-A Huntsville Stars, and then their Triple-A

Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...

. After his first ten professional seasons, DiFelice had a record of 77–57, with an

ERA An era is a span of time. Era or ERA may also refer to: * Era (geology), a subdivision of geologic time * Calendar era Education * Academy of European Law (German: '), an international law school * ERA School, in Melbourne, Australia * E ...

of 3.53, and had recorded 951

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...

Major league career

After starting the 2008 season in Nashville, posting a 3–0 record with a 3.91 ERA, DiFelice's contract was purchased by Milwaukee on May 15, and he made his major league debut three days later, May 18. On June 29, after appearing in 10 games, DiFelice was sent back down to Nashville. He received a call up on September 1, 2008, and he picked up his first major league win in the same month. DiFelice spent the whole 2009 season in the big leagues. He finished with a 4–1 record with 51.2 innings pitched and a 3.66 ERA. Following the 2009 season, DiFelice underwent shoulder surgery, which sidelined him for the entire 2010 season. He signed a minor league contract with an invitation to 2011 spring training while pitching in the fall instructional league. On June 18, 2011, DiFelice had his contract purchased by the Brewers. He made it back to the major leagues only to have his shoulder give out again, requiring a 3rd surgery and ending his 2011 season. In 2012, DiFelice signed with an Italian team.

Coaching career

DiFelice was named as the pitching coach for the

Wilmington Blue Rocks The Wilmington Blue Rocks are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Wilmington, Delaware, and play their home games at Daniel S. Frawley Stadium. Fra ...

in the

organization.

World Baseball Classic

DiFelice was selected as a pitcher for the Italian national team in the 2009

World Baseball Classic The World Baseball Classic (WBC), also referred to as the Classic, is an international baseball tournament sanctioned by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), the sport's global governing body, and organized in World Baseball Clas ...

. He started in the team's opening game against

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

, pitching four shutout innings while allowing three hits and striking out one batter, finishing the game with a no decision after leaving the game scoreless.

Personal

DiFelice has served as the unofficial barber of all the teams he has played for. His grandmother was a

hairdresser A hairdresser is a person whose occupation is to cut or style hair in order to change or maintain a person's image. This is achieved using a combination of hair coloring, haircutting, and hair texturing techniques. A hairdresser may also be re ...

, and his aunt owns a salon in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. When word spread that DiFelice cut hair, his teammates began making appointments for haircuts in the clubhouse.Haudricourt, Tom
"DiFelice adds shear relief in role as team barber."
JSOnline. May 28, 2009. Retrieved on December 20, 2010.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Difelice, Mark 1976 births Living people American people of Italian descent American expatriate baseball players in Canada Baseball coaches from Pennsylvania Camden Riversharks players Carolina Mudcats players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players American expatriate baseball players in Italy Huntsville Stars players Major League Baseball pitchers Minor league baseball coaches Milwaukee Brewers players Naranjeros de Hermosillo players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Nashville Sounds players Navegantes del Magallanes players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela New Orleans Zephyrs players Ottawa Lynx players Sportspeople from Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania Portland Rockies players Rimini Baseball Club players Salem Avalanche players Somerset Patriots players Baseball players from Delaware County, Pennsylvania Tri-City Dust Devils players Tulsa Drillers players Western Carolina Catamounts baseball players Yaquis de Obregón players 2009 World Baseball Classic players Baseball players from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania