| Frankie Crosetti | |
|---|---|
 Crosetti in 1969 | |
| Shortstop | |
| Born:(1910-10-04)October 4, 1910 San Francisco, California, U.S. | |
| Died: February 11, 2002(2002-02-11) (aged 91) Stockton, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 12, 1932, for the New York Yankees | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 3, 1948, for the New York Yankees | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .245 |
| Home runs | 98 |
| Runs batted in | 649 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| As player As coach | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Frank Peter Joseph Crosetti (October 4, 1910 – February 11, 2002), nicknamed "The Crow", was an Americanbaseball player. From 1932 to 1948, he spent his entire seventeen-yearMajor League Baseball playing career with theNew York Yankees atshortstop. After his retirement as a player, he becamethird base coach with the franchise for an additional twenty seasons. From 1932 to 1968, Crosetti won a combined total of 17World Series Championships, 8 as a player, and 9 as a coach, the most by any individual. Crosetti is tied with NHL legendJean Béliveau for the most combined championships in sports.
Crosetti was born inSan Francisco, California, and grew up inNorth Beach, which was something of a hotbed ofItalian-American talent on thebaseball field during the 1920s and 1930s (Tony Lazzeri,Charlie Silvera and the threeDiMaggio brothers also hail from the same neighborhood).[1] Before joining the Yankees, Crosetti played four seasons with theSan Francisco Seals of thePacific Coast League.
Crosetti joined the Yankees in1932, andbatted .241 with fivehome runs and 57runs batted in (RBI) in 116 games while batting at the bottom of the Yankees' batting order.[2] He was part of a World Series championship his first year in the big leagues as the Yankees completed a four-game sweep of theChicago Cubs in the1932 World Series two days shy of Crosetti's 22nd birthday.[3]
The finest year of Crosetti's career came in1936, when he played in 151 games and batted .288 with 15 home runs, 78 RBI, and 137runs scored, all career highs.[2] Batting lead-off, he was named anAmerican LeagueAll-Star for the first time in his career,[4] and reached the World Series for the second time. Crosetti batted .269 in the Yankees' six-game victory over theNew York Giants in the1936 World Series, and drove in the winningrun in the Yankees' 2–1 victory in Game 3.[5] The1936 season was the first of a string of four World Series titles for Crosetti and the Yankees.
After a poor1940 season, he lost his starting shortstop job toPhil Rizzuto in1941. He was given back the starting shortstop job when Rizzuto joined theNavy for battle in World War II; however, he became a reserve once again when Rizzuto rejoined the club in1946. Crosetti then became a player/coach for the club through the1948 season.
| Games | PA | AB | Runs | Hits | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | Avg. | Slg. | OBP | HBP | Fld% |
| 1,683 | 7,273 | 6,277 | 1,006 | 1,541 | 260 | 65 | 98 | 649 | 113 | 792 | 799 | .245 | .354 | .341 | 114 | .949 |
In 29 World Series games, Crosetti batted .174 with one home run, 11 RBI, and 16 runs scored.[2] His only World Series home run was a two-run shot offDizzy Dean in Game 2 of the1938 World Series that gave the Yankees a 4–3 lead over the Cubs.[6] Perhaps Crosetti's second most memorable moment in postseason play occurred in Game 3 of the1942 World Series when he shovedumpireBill Summers, an act for which he received a $250 fine from CommissionerKenesaw Mountain Landis and was suspended the first 30 games of the1943 season.[7]
Crosetti led the American League inplate appearances twice (1938 and1939), stolen bases once (1938), strikeouts twice (1937 and 1938) and in being hit by pitches eight times (1934, 1936–40,1942 and1945).[2] He was known as the weak link in the Yankees batting order, but he was also known as a slick fielder and for his ability to pull off thehidden ball trick.[8] Crosetti earned eightWorld Series rings as a player, and was a two-time All-Star (1936 and 1939).[2]
Crosetti becamethird base coach with the Yankees in 1947 and was part of an additional nine World Series championships as a coach with the franchise after he retired as a player following the 1948 season. He was said to be the "perfect coach", because he had no ambition whatsoever to manage, turning down numerous offers over the years to do so.[9] After 37 years, longing to be closer to his family in Northern California,[10] he left the franchise to join the expansionSeattle Pilots in1969.[11] He moved to theMinnesota Twins from1970 to1971, after the Pilots (who became theMilwaukee Brewers) didn't renew his contract.[12]
It has been said of Crosetti that he has waved home 16,000 runners in 25 years in the third-base coaching box.[13]
Crosetti died in 2002 at age 91 from complications of a fall inStockton, California and was entombed atHoly Cross Cemetery inColma. He was survived by his wife of 63 years, Norma, his son, John, and his daughter, Ellen.[14] He was the last surviving member of the 1932, 1936, 1937, and 1939 World Champion New York Yankees.
· Baseball Almanac, orBaseball Almanac| Preceded by | New York Yankeesthird-base coach 1949–1968 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Franchise established | Seattle Pilotsthird-base coach 1969 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minnesota Twinsthird-base coach 1970–1971 | Succeeded by |
