Americo Peter "Rico" Petrocelli (born June 27, 1943) is an American former 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 and minor league
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
. He played his entire
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) career as a
shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball positions, baseball or softball fielding position between second base, second and third base, which is considered to be among the Defensive spectrum, most demanding defensive positions. Historically, the ...
and
third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the Baseball scorekeep ...
for the
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
, where he established himself as a fan favorite for his powerful hitting and his solid defensive play.
A two-time
All-Star
An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry.
Sports
"All-star" as a sport ...
shortstop, Petrocelli appeared in two
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...
with the Red Sox (, ). He was inducted into the
Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame
The Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame was instituted in 1995 to recognize the careers of selected former Boston Red Sox players, coaches and managers, and non-uniformed personnel. A 15-member selection committee of Red Sox broadcasters and executives, ...
in 1997.
Early life
Petrocelli was born to
Italian immigrant parents in
Coney Island
Coney Island is a neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach to its east, Lower New York Bay to the south and west, and Gravesend to ...
,
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
,
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. His father was a garment worker in
Manhattan
Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
. He was the youngest of seven children. He graduated from
Sheepshead Bay High School in 1961.
Playing career
Petrocelli was signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur
free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...
in July 1961.
Minor leagues
Petrocelli spent the 1962 season with Boston's Class B
farm team
In sports, a farm team (also referred to as farm system, developmental system, feeder team, or nursery club) is generally a Team sport, team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any s ...
, the
Winston-Salem Red Sox,
batting .277 with 17
home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...
s and 80
RBIs in 137 games played. In 1963, he played for the
Double-A Reading Red Sox, again playing 137 games, with 19 home runs and 78 RBIs with a .239 average.
Petrocelli was a
September call-up with Boston in 1963, playing a single MLB game, on September 21 against the
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...
. He was the starting shortstop and was 1-for-4 at the plate, with his first major league hit being a
double
Double, The Double or Dubble may refer to:
Mathematics and computing
* Multiplication by 2
* Double precision, a floating-point representation of numbers that is typically 64 bits in length
* A double number of the form x+yj, where j^2=+1
* A ...
off of
Lee Stange. In 1964, Petrocelli played 134 games for the
Triple-A Seattle Rainiers, batting .231 with 10 home runs and 48 RBIs.
Boston Red Sox
Petrocelli spent all of the 1965 season with Boston, playing in 103 games and making 93 starts at shortstop. Early in his
rookie
A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year).
In contrast with a veteran who has experience, a rookie is typically considered needing more tra ...
campaign, he experimented with
switch hitting, but after batting only .174 with no home runs through 20 games, he returned to his exclusively right-handed stroke on June 6. For the season, he batted .232 with 13 home runs and 33 RBIs. In 1966, Petrocelli batted .238 with 18 home runs and 59 RBIs in 139 games played.
In 1967, Boston's "
Impossible Dream" year, Petrocelli was selected to the
All-Star
An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry.
Sports
"All-star" as a sport ...
game; he was the starting shortstop for the
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...
team, and went hitless in his one
at bat
In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens upon completion of his turn at bat, ...
. Petrocelli played in 142 regular season games, with 17 home runs, 66 RBIs, and a .259 average. In the
1967 World Series, he started all seven games, batting 4-for-20 (.200) with two home runs and three RBIs. Both of his home runs came in Game 6, off of
Dick Hughes of the
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 ...
. Boston ultimately lost the series, four games to three.
In 1968, Petrocelli played 123 games while batting .234 with 12 home runs and 46 RBIs. In 1969, he set a record (since broken) for home runs by a shortstop with 40; he had 97 RBIs and a career-high .297 average while playing 154 games. He also played in his second
All-Star
An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry.
Sports
"All-star" as a sport ...
game, starting at shortstop for the American League squad and going 1-for-3 at the plate, with a double off of
Jerry Koosman. Petrocelli led American League shortstops in
fielding percentage
In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a baseball positions, defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putout ...
in both 1968 and 1969, at .978 and .981, respectively.
Petrocelli hit 29 home runs and had a career-high 103 RBIs in 1970, while batting .261 in 157 games. In 1971, the Red Sox acquired shortstop
Luis Aparicio
Luis Ernesto Aparicio Montiel (born April 29, 1934), nicknamed "Little Louie", is a Venezuelans, Venezuelan former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a shortstop from 1956 to 1973 for three American League ...
and Petrocelli moved to third base. He led American League third basemen in fielding percentage (.976), making only 11
error
An error (from the Latin , meaning 'to wander'Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “error (n.), Etymology,” September 2023, .) is an inaccurate or incorrect action, thought, or judgement.
In statistics, "error" refers to the difference between t ...
s in 463
total chances
In baseball statistics, total chances (TC), also called ''chances offered'', represents the number of plays in which a defensive player has participated. It is the sum of putouts plus assists plus errors. ''Chances accepted'' refers to the total ...
. He batted .251 in a career-high 158 games, with 28 home runs and 89 RBIs.

In 1972, Petrocelli batted .240 with 15 home runs and 75 RBIs, while playing in 147 games. In 1973, Petrocelli did not play after August 11 due to a
calcium deposit in his right elbow, which required surgery. For the season, he appeared in 100 games, batting .244 with 13 home runs and 45 RBIs. He returned in 1974 to play 129 games with 15 home runs, 76 RBIs, and a .267 average. He did not play after September 15, when he was hit in the head by a pitch from
Jim Slaton of 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 ...
.
During the 1975 regular season, Petrocelli batted .239 in 115 games, with seven home runs and 59 RBIs. He missed the second half of August due to an
inner ear
The inner ear (internal ear, auris interna) is the innermost part of the vertebrate ear. In vertebrates, the inner ear is mainly responsible for sound detection and balance. In mammals, it consists of the bony labyrinth, a hollow cavity in the ...
problem, likely related to his 1974 beaning. Boston won the
American League East
The American League East is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. MLB consists of an East, Central, and West division for each of its two 15-team leagues, the American League (AL) and National League (baseball), National League (NL). T ...
, and faced the
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...
in the
American League Championship Series
The American League Championship Series (ALCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) postseason. The winner of the ALCS wins the AL pennant and ...
. Petrocelli started all three games at third base, as the Red Sox swept the A's, while batting 2-for-12 (.167) with a home run and two RBIs. In the
1975 World Series, which Boston lost to the
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...
, Petrocelli hit .308 (8-for-26) with four RBIs, starting all seven games at third base. He did not commit an error during the 1975 postseason.
In 1976, Petrocelli was placed on the
disabled list
In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 Major League Baseball season, 2019 season, it was known as the disabl ...
on August 20, due to further inner ear problems; he played in only three more games that year. For the season, he batted a career-low .213 with three home runs and 24 RBIs in 85 games played. Supplanted by
Butch Hobson
Clell Lavern "Butch" Hobson Jr. (born August 17, 1951) is an American professional baseball manager and former third baseman.
Hobson played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, California Angels, and New York Yankees, and mana ...
as the team's regular third baseman, Petrocelli was released by the Red Sox during
spring training
Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...
on March 26, 1977.
During his career with the Red Sox, Petrocelli hit 210 home runs with 773 RBIs and 653 runs scored in 1553 games played, with a .251 average. As of 2018, Petrocelli holds MLB's eighth-best all-time fielding percentage for third basemen (.970). He was inducted to the
Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame
The Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame was instituted in 1995 to recognize the careers of selected former Boston Red Sox players, coaches and managers, and non-uniformed personnel. A 15-member selection committee of Red Sox broadcasters and executives, ...
in 1997.
Post-playing career
Following his playing career, Petrocelli worked in
broadcasting
Broadcasting is the data distribution, distribution of sound, audio audiovisual content to dispersed audiences via a electronic medium (communication), mass communications medium, typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio waves), ...
and was a
minor league
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nort ...
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
. He later wrote a book about the
1967 Boston Red Sox season, ''Rico Petrocelli's Tales from the Impossible Dream Red Sox''.
Broadcasting
For the
1979 Boston Red Sox season, Petrocelli was
color commentator
A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The person may also be referred to as a summariser (outside North America) ...
for local radio broadcasts on
WITS-AM 1510, working with
Ken Coleman. In 1980, he began hosting the
game show
A game show (or gameshow) is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment where contestants compete in a game for rewards. The shows are typically directed by a game show host, host, who explains the rules of the program as well as commentating a ...
''
Candlepins for Cash'' on
WXNE-TV, Channel 25 in
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
; he hosted the show through 1982. Also on April 17, 1980, Petrocelli teamed with
Jim Woods to call a game between the
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...
and
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 ...
for the
USA Network
USA Network (or simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Media Group division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It was launched in 1977 as Madison Square Garden Sports Network, one of the first national sports ...
.
Managing
Petrocelli managed within the
farm system
In sports, a farm team (also referred to as farm system, developmental system, feeder team, or nursery club) is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful pl ...
s of the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...
and the Boston Red Sox.
Notes:
* In 1986, Petrocelli took over as manager of the Appleton Foxes in June.
* The 1987 Birmingham Barons, despite their overall losing record, won the Southern League playoffs.
* The 1992 Pawtucket Red Sox lost in the first round of the International League playoffs.
Political activity
Petrocelli endorsed
Republican Karoline Leavitt
Karoline Claire Leavitt ( ; born August 24, 1997) is an American spokesperson who, since 2025, has served as the 36th White House press secretary. She was the Republican Party (United States), Republican candidate for New Hampshire's 1st congr ...
, a candidate for
New Hampshire's 1st congressional district
New Hampshire's 1st congressional district covers parts of Southern New Hampshire and the eastern portion of the state. The district contains parts of Hillsborough, Rockingham, Merrimack, Grafton, and Belknap counties; and the entirety of ...
, in the
2022 election. In 2023, Petrocelli announced his support for former U.S. Senator
Kelly Ayotte in the
2024 New Hampshire gubernatorial election, describing her as "the tough conservative we need in Concord".
Works
*
*
See also
*
References
Further reading
*
*
*
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Petrocelli, Rico
1943 births
Living people
American League All-Stars
Birmingham Barons managers
Boston Red Sox announcers
Boston Red Sox players
Bowling broadcasters
Major League Baseball broadcasters
Major League Baseball shortstops
Major League Baseball third basemen
Pawtucket Red Sox managers
Reading Red Sox players
Seattle Rainiers players
Baseball players from Brooklyn
Winston-Salem Red Sox players
American people of Italian descent
People from Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn
Sheepshead Bay High School alumni
20th-century American sportsmen