A Pair of Old Time Giants With Great Names: Blondy Ryan & Pretzel Pezzullo

John Collins “Blondy” Ryan was born January 4, 1906 in Lynn, Massachusetts. He was signed as an amateur free agent in 1930 by the White Sox. After batting .207 in 28 games he was traded to the New York Giants for Doc Marshall & cash. He arrived at the right time, and even though his career was brief, he won a World Series with the 1933 Giants. Marshall was the short stop in 1932 when the Giants finished 6th, he hit .248 without any HRs & 28 RBIs. Blondy Ryan was known for his fielding, especially his outstanding wide range, more than anything else. He would commit 42 errors in 1933 but his .950 fielding percentage still put him above the rest of the league. He had 832 chances and had 296 put outs. His fielding was so good; he got 24% of the votes for the MVP award.

At the plate he hit .238 with 3 HRs 48 RBIs 5 triples. He struck out 62 times and only drew 15 walks. In the World Series he played in all five games and hit .278 (5-18) with an RBI. In 1934 he proved his versatility playing 65 games at third base, 30 games at short & 25 at second base. He hit .241 and had 12 sacrifice hits, 9th best in the league. In November of 1934 he was traded with Pretzel Pezzullo, Johnny Vergez, George Watkins and cash to the Phillies for Dick Bartell. Bartell was one of the better hitting short stops of the day; he would hit .298 & .300 for the Giants over the next couple of years. Blondy saw limited playing time and was sold to the AL NY team across the Harlem River. In 1936 he didn’t play in the majors & returned in 1937 as a utility player back with the Giants. Although he only played in 21 games, he got another World Series at bat going 0-1. He finished up in 1938 batting .208 in 12 games. A lifetime .239 hitter. He passed away at the young age of 53 in Massachusetts.

(A name like Pretzel Pezzullo cannot be ignored by centerfield maz.)

John Pretzel Pezzullo was born to an Italian American family, on December 10, 1910 in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He earned the name Pretzel because of his strange twisty wind up & delivery. He had a high leg kick then would drop down with a side arm delivery, totally confusing the hitter. He only pitched one minor league season going 16-4, before making the big leagues. His stuff probably wasn’t all that good because he only lasted two brief seasons in Philadelphia. He appears to have been a bit wild too, hitting seven batters, 5th most in the league. He went 3-5 with a 6.40 ERA & one save in 45 games in 1935 after coming over from the Giants farm team in the Blondy/Bartell trade. The next season he only appeared in one game, walking six batters in two innings. Next he was back in the minors, but won 26 games at Savannah. Pezzullo settled in Dallas Texas where he passed away at the age of 80. All he left behind was the legacy of one of baseball’s greatest nicknames.