| John D'Acquisto | |
|---|---|
 D'Acquisto in 1978 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1951-12-24)December 24, 1951 (age 73) San Diego,California, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 2, 1973, for the San Francisco Giants | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 1, 1982, for the Oakland Athletics | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 34–51 |
| Earned run average | 4.56 |
| Strikeouts | 600 |
| Teams | |
John Francis D'Acquisto (born December 24, 1951) is an American former professionalbaseballpitcher who played ten seasons inMajor League Baseball (MLB). He is the cousin of former major league pitcherLou Marone.[1]
D'Acquisto was drafted by theSan Francisco Giants in the first round of the1970 MLB Draft out ofSt. Augustine High School inSan Diego, California.[2][3] He made his Major League debut on September 2, 1973, against theAtlanta Braves, starting the second game of a doubleheader. D'Acquisto allowed two runs in 4.2 innings and did not get the decision.[4] He pitched a complete game victory over theSan Diego Padres on September 21 for his first career win while striking out 11.[5] Overall, D'Acquisto was 1–1 with a 3.58 ERA in seven appearances (three starts) that year.
D'Acquisto was namedNational League (NL) Rookie Pitcher of the Year in 1974 when he went 12–14 with a 3.77 ERA for the fifth-place Giants, but he missed most of the next season after elbow surgery.[6] He tied an NL record with three wild pitches in one inning on September 24, 1976.[7]
In four seasons with the Giants, D'Acquisto compiled a record of 18–27 with a 4.68 ERA in 83 appearances (64 starts).
D'Acquisto was traded (withMike Caldwell andDave Rader) to theSt. Louis Cardinals forWillie Crawford,John Curtis andVic Harris on October 20, 1976.[8] Due to his being on the disabled list,[9] D'Acquisto only appeared in three games with the Cardinals, with a 4.32 ERA.
D'Acquisto was traded, along withPat Scanlon, from theCardinals to theSan Diego Padres forButch Metzger on May 17, 1977.[9] In 1978, he was switched to the bullpen (4–3, 10 saves, 2.13 ERA in 45 appearances). In 1979, D'Acquisto was put back into the rotation and had 51 appearances, with a 9–13 record with 134 innings pitched and struck out 97 batters.
In four seasons with the Padres, D'Acquisto went 16–21 with a 4.24 ERA in 152 games (26 starts).
On August 11, 1980, D'Acquisto was traded to theMontreal Expos for a player to be named later (Randy Bass). He made 11 appearances out of the bullpen with the Expos, with a 2.18 ERA.
In 1981 D'Acquisto tested the free agent market and signed with theCalifornia Angels. D'Acquisto did not pitch much with the Angels (6 appearances) during the strike-ridden year and was subsequently sent to the minor leagues inSalt Lake City, Utah. He was brought back to the parent team in spring training and then released.
After his release, D'Acquisto signed with theAtlanta Braves and was sent toRichmond AAA International League in 1982. He asked for, and was granted, his release on July 27, 1982.
He signed with theOakland Athletics underBilly Martin and pitched for Oakland for the rest of the 1982 season. D'Acquisto was part of the A's in spring training the next year also but was released on the last day of spring training.
D'Acquisto was picked up by theChicago White Sox and sent toDenver of theAmerican Association.
D'Acquisto retired after arm surgery in 1983. In 1989, D'Acquisto pitched for theBradenton Explorers andSt. Lucie Legends of theSenior Professional Baseball Association, where he finished 5–4 with four saves.
After he retired from baseball, D'Acquisto became a registered investment advisor. In 1996, D'Acquisto was sentenced to five years and three months in prison for trying to pass off a forged $200 million certificate of deposit.[10] D'Acquisto was also indicted in 1998 on charges of defrauding investors of approximately $7 million.[11] As a result, D'Acquisto was sentenced the following year to an additional four years and seven months in prison after he pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering, which was served concurrently with the term handed down in 1996.[12][13]
