Phil Rizzuto

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Lore & Background

Rizzuto was born Fiore Rizzuto on September 25, 1917, in Brooklyn, New York, to parents originally from Calabria, Italy. He grew up in Glendale, Queens, and played baseball and football at Richmond Hill High School. His nickname "the Scooter" was bestowed by minor league teammate Billy Hitchcock because of the way he ran the bases. After his playing career, he had a 40-year career as a radio and television sports announcer for the Yankees, known for his trademark expression "holy cow!"

In Their Own Story

The 1951 World Series saw Rizzuto bat .320, for which the New York chapter of the BBWAA later voted him the Babe Ruth Award as the Series' top player. Decades later, Rizzuto still spoke resentfully of the incident in which New York Giants second baseman Eddie Stanky sparked a rally by kicking the ball out of Rizzuto's glove on a tag play. Ty Cobb named Rizzuto and Stan Musial as "two of the few modern ball players who could hold their own among old timers." Yankees manager Casey Stengel, who had famously dismissed Rizzuto during a Brooklyn Dodgers tryout in 1935, ended up managing Rizzuto during five consecutive championship seasons and would later say, "He is the greatest shortstop I have ever seen in my entire baseball career, and I have watched some beauties." Yankees pitcher Vic Raschi noted, "My best pitch is anything the batter grounds, lines or pops in the direction of Rizzuto." Decades into his retirement, teammate Joe DiMaggio characterized Rizzuto's enduring appeal to fans: "People loved..."

Reader's Guide

Rizzuto's best statistical season was 1950, when he was named the American League's Most Valuable Player. He was a "small ball" player noted for strong defense and great bunting. He holds numerous World Series records for shortstops. When he retired, his 1,217 career double plays ranked second in major league history, and his .968 career fielding average trailed only Lou Boudreau's .973 among AL shortstops. He played in five All-Star Games (1942, 1950–1953).

Did You Know?

• Rizzuto's birth year was long reported as 1918 on the advice of teammates, but his official birth certificate is dated 1917.
• He received The Sporting News Minor League Player of the Year Award in 1940 while playing with the Kansas City Blues.
• In 1950, he set a single-season record for shortstops by handling 238 consecutive chances without an error.
• He was the only MVP in history who led the league in sacrifice bunts.