| Mickey Grasso | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born:(1920-05-10)May 10, 1920 Newark, New Jersey, U.S. | |
| Died: October 15, 1975(1975-10-15) (aged 55) Miami,Florida, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 18, 1946, for the New York Giants | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| May 8, 1955, for the New York Giants | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .226 |
| Home runs | 5 |
| Runs batted in | 87 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
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Newton Michael Grasso (May 10, 1920 – October 15, 1975) was an American professionalbaseballcatcher and veteran ofWorld War II who, after over two years as aPrisoner of War of theGermans,[1] played all or parts of seven seasons inMajor League Baseball. He appeared in 322 totalgames for theNew York Giants in1946 and1955, theWashington Senators from1950 to1953, and theCleveland Indians in1954. TheNewark, New Jersey, native stood 6 feet (1.8 m) tall and weighed 190 pounds (86 kg); he batted and threw right-handed.
Grasso had played only one season in theminor leagues when he enlisted in theUnited States Army in January 1942,[2] six weeks after theAttack on Pearl Harbor. He rose to the rank oftechnical sergeant and was assigned to the34th Infantry Division when he was taken prisoner inTunisia in February 1943 during theNorth African Campaign. Grasso was eventually interned in aPOW camp inFürstenberg (Oder),[1] 68 miles (109 km) southeast ofBerlin. In the waning days of the war, in April 1945, as he was being marched westward by his captors, Grasso was one of ten allied prisoners who escaped German custody and the invadingSoviet Red Army and was rescued by American troops.
Although he had lost 60 pounds (27 kg) during his internment, Grasso was able to return to professional baseball in 1946[1] when he played 106 games at theTriple-A level before his recall by theNew York Giants in September. He got into sevengames, six as the Giants' starting catcher, but he had only threehits and was sent back to the minors for three full years.
Selected by theWashington Senators in the 1949Rule 5 draft, Grasso then spent the next five seasons in the major leagues. Hehit a career-high .287 in1950 and was the Senators' regular catcher in1952, when they posted their last winning season in Washington before moving in 1961 toMinneapolis–Saint Paul. After four seasons in Washington, Grasso was traded to the contendingCleveland Indians in January 1954, but a broken ankle sustained duringspring training sidelined him until September 2. The1954 Indians won 111 games and captured their thirdAmerican Leaguepennant. Grasso was able to play in the1954 World Series (against his old team, the Giants). But his lone appearance, in Game 1 on September 29 at thePolo Grounds, lasted only oneinning. Relieving regular catcherJim Hegan in the tenth frame with the game tied 2–2, Grasso was behind the plate whenDusty Rhodes hit awalk-off,three-runhomer off Indians' aceBob Lemon. New York went on to sweep the series in four games.
During the off-season, Grasso was reacquired by the Giants, and finished his big-league tenure with them in limited service during the1955 season's early weeks. His 216 career MLB hits included 23doubles, onetriple and five home runs, and he was credited with 87runs batted in. He was one of eight former World War II Prisoners of War to appear in the major leagues.[2] His 13-season professional career ended in 1958.
Grasso was known for his fiery temper[1] and was one of the Senators' most popular players of the early 1950s.[2] He was nicknamed "Mickey" because of his resemblance to theBaseball Hall of Fame catcher of the 1920s and 1930s,Mickey Cochrane.[3]
He died of aheart attack[1] inMiami,Florida, at the age of 55.
· Baseball Almanac