Joe Cascarella

Joseph Thomas Cascarella (June 28, 1907 - May 22, 2002) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball who played with four different teams between 1934 and 1938. Listed at 5' 10.5", 175 lb., Cascarella batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Cascarella filled various pitching roles, as a starter, or coming out from the bullpen as a middle-reliever or a closer. He reached the majors in 1934 with the Philadelphia Athletics, spending one and a half year with them before moving to the Boston Red Sox (1935-1936), Washington Senators (1936-1937), and Cincinnati Reds (1937-1938). In his rookie year he collected a career-high 12 wins, including seven in relief to lead the American League. He also was selected to an All-Star team which toured Japan after the season, but he never won more than nine games during a regular season. In a five-season career, Cascarella posted a 27-48 record with 192 strikeouts and a 4.84 ERA in 143 appearances, including 54 starts, 20 complete games, three shutouts, 58 games finished, eight saves, and 540 ⅓ innings pitched. Known as "Crooning Joe" for his fine tenor voice, Cascarella later became a popular singer on radio shows and in night clubs. He also worked as operational vice president of Laurel Race Track.

Cascarella died in Baltimore, Maryland at age 94.

Fact

*At the time of his death, Cascarella was the last surviving member of the 1934 U.S. All-Star touring team, which included Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig Jimmy Foxx, Earl Averill, Charlie Gehringer and Lefty Gomez. It was also the trip that allowed Moe Berg to get atop a Japanese hospital and make the film that would be used in planning the Doolittle Raid after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

ee also

*Boston Red Sox all-time roster

ources

* [http://www.baseballlibrary.com/ballplayers/player.php?name=Joe_Cascarella_1907 Baseball Library]
* [http://www.baseball-reference.com/c/cascajo01.shtml Baseball Reference]
* [http://www.silverscreentest.com/koala/eucalyptus/june05.htm Eucalyptus Silver Screen]
* [http://www.historicbaseball.com/players/c/cascarella_joe.html Historic Baseball]
* [http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/C/Pcascj101.htm Retrosheet]