Dario Antonio Lodigiani (June 6, 1916 – February 10, 2008) was an Americaninfielder inMajor League Baseball who played for two different teams between1938 and1946. Listed at 5'8", 150 lb., he batted and threw right-handed. He was born inSan Francisco, California. Lodigiani enjoyed a 17-year baseball career (1935–1954), playing parts of six seasons in the majors (1938–42, 1946) and 14 in theminor leagues (1935–40; 1947–54), losing three years while serving in themilitary (1943–45).

Dario Lodigiani
Lodigiani, circa 1943
Infielder
Born:(1916-06-06)June 6, 1916 San Francisco, California, U.S.
Died: February 10, 2008(2008-02-10) (aged 91) Napa, California, U.S.
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 18, 1938, for the Philadelphia Athletics
Last MLB appearance
August 18, 1946, for the Chicago White Sox
MLB statistics
Batting average	.260
Home runs	16
Runs batted in	156
Stats atBaseball Reference
Teams
Philadelphia Athletics (1938–1940) Chicago White Sox (1941–1942), (1946)

He playedsecond base forLowell High School (San Francisco), as hisdouble play partner wasshortstopJoe DiMaggio. In 1935, he graduated fromGalileo High School (SF), where he was an All-Star in thebaseball,basketball andfootball teams.

At age 19, Lodigiani started his professional career with theOakland Oaks of thePacific Coast League (1935–37) and later joined theWilliamsport Grays of theEastern League (1938). He entered the majors in 1938 with thePhiladelphia Athletics, playing for them until 1940 in one game before joining theToronto Maple Leafs of theInternational League (1940). He returned to major league action with theChicago White Sox (1941–42), and later served in theUS Army Air Force during World War II (1943–45). After discharge, he rejoined the ChiSox in 1946, his last major league season.

In his rookie season with Philadelphia, Lodigiani posted a .280batting average with sixhome runs and 44RBI in 93games. The next year he recorded career-highs in games (121),hits (102),runs (46),doubles (22), and matched his numbers in home runs and RBI while hitting .260.

In a six-season career, Lodigiani was a .260 hitter (355–for–1364) with 16 home runs and 156 RBI in 405 games, including 142runs, 71 doubles, seventriples, 12stolen bases, and a .338on-base percentage. A disciplined hitter, he posted a solid 1.64walk-to-strikeout ratio (141–to–86). On the field, he appeared in 275 games as athird baseman and 115 at second. He had an overall total of .948fielding percentage (82errors in 1582chances).

Lodigiani returned to the Pacific Coast League with the Oakland Oaks (1947–49) andSan Francisco Seals (1949–51). After that, he played andmanaged in theWestern International League for Yakima (1952–53), and played with theVentura Oilers (1953) andChannel Cities Oilers (1954) of theCalifornia League. Over 14 minor league seasons, he hit a .301 average with 74 home runs and 589 RBI. His best minor league season was with the 1937 Oaks, when he hit .327 with 35 doubles, 18 home runs and 84 RBI.

Following his playing career, Lodigianiscouted for the Chicago White Sox, discovering or signing players such asDave Frost,Rusty Kuntz,Jack McDowell,Rich Morales andKen Williams.^[1] He also coached for theCleveland Indians andKansas City Athletics, and eventually gained induction to the Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame in 2006.

Lodigiani died inNapa, California on February 10, 2008.^[2][3]

• Van Blair, Rick (1994). Dugout to Foxhole: Interviews with Baseball Players Whose Careers Were Affected by World War II. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company Publishers.

• Career statistics fromBaseball Reference, orRetrosheet 
• Retrosheet
• Baseball in Wartime^{[dead link]}
• Autographed to YouArchived 2007-08-04 at theWayback Machine