Mike Palagyi

Mike Palagyi
Pitcher
Born: July 4, 1917 (1917-07-04) (age 94) Conneaut, Ohio
Batted: Right	Threw: Right
MLB debut
August 18, 1939 for the Washington Senators
Last MLB appearance
August 18, 1939 for the Washington Senators
Career statistics
Innings pitched	0
Walks	3
Earned Run Average	infinite
Teams
Washington Senators (1939)

Michael Raymond Palagyi (born July 4, 1917) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher, who pitched for the Washington Senators. He is in a relatively small group of nearly 1500 players who have appeared in exactly one Major League game. He is currently the oldest of those one-game players. He was born in Conneaut, Ohio.

Early life

Palagyi was one of nine children born to Joseph and Anna Palagyi.^[1]

Career

Palagyi, a 6-feet, 2-inch, 185-pound pitcher, made his major league debut on August 18, 1939 for the Washington Senators as a relief pitcher in a game against the Boston Red Sox.^[2] During the game, he faced three future Hall of Fame members: Ted Williams, Joe Cronin and Jimmy Foxx.^[3] He hit Foxx with a pitch and walked Williams, Cronin and a fourth batter.^[3] Three of those runners would score. The Senators would change pitchers before Palagyi was able to retire a batter. The Senators would lose the game, but Palagyi did not receive credit for the loss in that game. He would never play in another major league game. In an interview for Richard Tellis's book, Once Around the Bases, Palagyi said that he "threw but 2 strikes out of 15 pitches -- a very short big league career".^[3]

After leaving baseball, Palagyi served during World War II.^[4] As of 2005, Palagyi still lived in Conneaut.

Distinctions

Since Palagyi allowed three earned runs without retiring a batter, his career Earned run average is infinite. He is one of at least 19 pitchers with an infinite Earned Run Average.^[5]

Palagyi and Mark Wagner are the only major-league players born in Conneaut. Both players pitched in exactly one game in relief. However, Wagner appeared in other games as a shortstop.

Palagyi is recognized as one of the oldest living Major League Baseball players.

See also

• List of oldest living Major League Baseball players

References

1. ^ "Northeast Ohio Obituaries". Star Beacon. http://www.conneautohio.us/obituaries_starbeacon_august2005.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-19. 
2. ^ "1939 Washington Senators". BaseballLibrary.com. http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/teams/1939senators.stm. Retrieved 2007-12-14. 
3. ^ ^{a b c} Margolick, David (1999-04-04). "New Season for Stars and One-Game Wonders". New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A04E2D91039F937A35757C0A96F958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=2. Retrieved 2007-12-14. 
4. ^ Shpigel, Ben. "THOSE WHO SERVED". TheDeadBallEra.com. http://www.thedeadballera.com/ThoseWhoServed_World%20War%202.html. Retrieved 2007-12-14. 
5. ^ Shpigel, Ben (2007-02-28). "A Debut to Remember, and One to Forget". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/28/sports/baseball/28mets.html. Retrieved 2007-12-14. 

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube

Persondata
Name	Palagyi, Mike
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1917-07-04
Place of birth	Conneaut, Ohio
Date of death
Place of death