Former Italian / American Player: Phil Gagliano (1963-1974)

Philip Joseph Gagliano was born December 27, 1941 in Memphis, Tennessee. Phil’s brother Ralph Gagliano played in the minors throughout the sixties, playing one game in the majors with the Cleveland Indians in 1965. Phil was an all around infielder/ outfielder who had a 12 year career mostly as a utility player & pinch hitter. He was signed out of high school by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1959, making his debut in 1963. He spent seven seasons in St. Louis seeing the most action in 1965. That year he played in 122 games at second base & in the outfield batting .240 with 8 HRs 14 doubles & 53 RBIs.

He got to play in three World Series with the Cardinals in the sixties, winning two Championships in 1964 & 1967. In the 1964 season he hit .259 in 40 games without getting a chance to play in the World Series. In 1967 he hit 2 HRs with 21 RBIs batting .221 playing in 73 games. In the World Series against Boston he got one at bat going 0-1. The next year he was used mostly as a pinch hitter, playing a utility role in the infield & outfield batting .229 with 12 RBIs. He got three at bats in the World Series against Detroit going hitless. He was traded to the Cubs during the 1970 season & soon became one of the games best pinch hitters. He spent two years in Boston batting .354 as a pinch hitter in 1971 with a .413 on base %.

In the spring of 1973 he was sent to the Cincinnati Reds with Andy Kosco for Mel Behney. As a pinch hitter for the 1973 NL Western Champion Big Red Machine, Gagliano hit .366. Overall he batted .290 with a .402 on base %. He filled in a few games here & there as a utility player as well. He got see action in three Games of the 1973 NLCS against the Mets, going 0-3. First he struck out in the 5th inning of Jon Matlack’s Game #2 two hitter in Cincinnati. He made the last out off Jerry Koosman in the classic Game #4, the game where Bud Harrelson & Pete Rose had their famous brawl at Shea Stadium. He also grounded out in the next game as a pinch hitter. Gagliano finished his 12 year career with a .238 batting average after the 1974 season.

from centerfield: A few years back the 1974 Phil Gagliano Topps baseball card, although a common was one of the last ones I needed to complete my set!