| Ken Silvestri | |
|---|---|
 Silvestri, circa 1941 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born:(1916-05-03)May 3, 1916 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| Died: March 31, 1992(1992-03-31) (aged 75) Tallahassee, Florida, U.S. | |
Batted: Switch Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 18, 1939, for the Chicago White Sox | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 31, 1951, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .217 |
| Home runs | 5 |
| Runs batted in | 25 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Kenneth Joseph Silvestri (May 3, 1916 – March 31, 1992) was an American professionalbaseball player,coach andmanager. During his 16-year professional playing career, he was a backupcatcher in theMajor Leagues over eight seasons scattered between1939 through1951, appearing for theChicago White Sox (1939–40),New York Yankees (1941; 1946–47) andPhiladelphia Phillies (1950–51).
Silvestri was born inChicago and attendedPurdue University. Aswitch-hitter who threwright-handed, he stood 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) tall and weighed 200 pounds (91 kg). He served in theUnited States Army duringWorld War II.
As a big leaguer, Silvestribatted .217, with 44hits, 11doubles, onetriple, fivehome runs and 25RBI in 102games played. As a member of the1950 Phillies, he appeared in Game 2 of the1950 World Series as a defensive replacement, spelling starting catcherAndy Seminick and handlingBaseball Hall of FamerRobin Roberts for twoscorelessinnings. However, the opposing Yankees broke through to win the game after Silvestri was removed for apinch hitter in the ninth.[1]
Following his MLB playing career, Silvestri managed in theminor leagues in the Yankeefarm system andcoached for the Phillies (1952–53; 1959–60),Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves (1963–75) and the White Sox (1976; 1982), working as a minor league instructor for Chicago from 1977 to 1981. He also managed the Atlanta Braves for the final three games of the1967 season after skipperBilly Hitchcock was fired.[2] The Braves lost all three games Silvestri managed.[3]
Silvestri died inTallahassee, Florida at age 75.[4]
| Preceded by | Chicago White Soxpitching coach 1976 1982 | Succeeded by |
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