John August Antonelli (April 12, 1930 – February 28, 2020) was an American professional baseball player, a left-handed starting pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston / Milwaukee Braves, New York / San Francisco Giants, and Cleveland Indians between and . Noted at the outset of his pro career as the recipient of the biggest bonus in baseball history when he signed with the Braves for $52,000 in 1948, he later became a six-time National League (NL) All-Star, a two-time 20-game-winner, and an important member of the 1954 World Series champion Giants' pitching staff. He batted left-handed, stood tall and weighed . He was the first person born in the 1930s to make his MLB debut.
Born in Rochester, New York, his hometown for most of his life, Antonelli was a sought-after pitcher for Jefferson High School. Signed by the Braves in 1948, he spent the next three seasons on their roster, never pitching more than 96 innings in a single season, before serving in the United States Army for two years during the Korean War. After one more year with the Braves in 1953, he was traded to the Giants before the 1954 season. The Giants had to give up popular outfielder Bobby Thomson in the deal, but Antonelli won 21 games, leading the National League in earned run average (ERA) (2.30) and winning percentage (.750) as the Giants won the NL pennant. In the World Series against the Indians, he outpitched Hall of Famer Early Wynn in Game 2 and got the save in Game 4 as New York swept the series.
Arm troubles bothered Antonelli in 1955, but he won 20 games for a sixth-place team in 1956, the first of four straight years he would be selected to the NL All-Star Team. After the Giants moved to San Francisco to begin the 1958 season, Antonelli won 16 games and 19 games his first two years with the ballclub. He led the NL in shutouts again in 1959 and set a career-high with 282 innings pitched, but fans started booing him after he complained about the wind conditions at Seals Stadium. In 1960, he was moved to the bullpen, accruing 11 saves before pitching one final season with the Giants and Indians in 1961. He was slated to be one of the original New York Mets in 1962, but he retired instead, opting to return to Rochester and focus on his Firestone business, which he would run for 40 years.
Early life A native and lifelong resident of Rochester, New York, Antonelli was the son of Josephine (née Messore) and Gus Antonelli. Gus was a railroad track layer who had emigrated from Italy and found work with the New York Central Railroad. Johnny attended Thomas Jefferson High School in Rochester, where he excelled at baseball, basketball, and football. Initially a first baseman for the school's baseball team, he was moved to the pitcher position by coach Charley O'Brien for his sophomore year. Antonelli's success on the mound attracted the attention of several major league scouts; Hall of Famer Carl Hubbell found Antonelli one of the most balanced pitchers he had ever seen. Gus was eager to promote his son, renting out Silver Stadium in Johnny's senior year so that scouts could come see him throw. In addition to scouts from nine of the 16 major-league teams in existence in 1948, 7,000 fans showed up for the exhibition as well. Boston Braves scout Jeff Jones was so impressed, he got team president Lou Perini to come see the high school pitcher throw.
Major League Baseball Boston Braves Antonelli signed with the Braves on June 29, 1948, for $52,000 , the largest signing bonus in baseball history at the time. Baseball's bonus rule then mandated that "bonus babies" (players receiving a signing bonus in excess of $4,000) be kept on major league rosters and could not be sent to the minor leagues. Thus, Antonelli went from high school to the major league Braves, a veteran team challenging for Boston's first National League pennant since 1914. He never pitched in the minor leagues.
On July 4, 1948, Antonelli made his major league debut in the first game of a doubleheader against the Philadelphia Phillies, entering in relief to pitch the eighth inning and allowing one run in a 7–2 loss. While the Braves went on to win the 1948 NL championship, Antonelli was used largely as a batting practice pitcher. He appeared in only four games, all relief assignments in low-leverage situations. His large bonus dwarfed the salaries of veteran Braves like ace starting pitcher Johnny Sain, causing some resentment among his teammates. When the Braves voted to divide their World Series share from their loss to the Cleveland Indians, they voted not to award Antonelli any of their winnings. It took the intervention of Commissioner Happy Chandler for Antonelli to be given a loser's share, equalling $571.31.
His second season with the Braves, 1949, brought no pennants to Boston, but it saw Antonelli gain more experience. He made his first major league start in the first game of a doubleheader against the New York Giants on May 1, allowing two runs (one earned) in eight innings and earning his first major league win in a 4–2 triumph. On June 12, also in the second game of a doubleheader, he pitched a shutout against the Chicago Cubs. He had a 3–2 win–loss record through June 19, but after losing five decisions in a row through August 3, Antonelli worked exclusively out of the bullpen for the remainder of the season. He worked in 22 games (ten starts), notching his first three career complete games and his first shutout. Antonelli won three games, lost seven, posted a 3.56 earned run average (ERA), and struck out 48 hitters in 96 innings pitched.
Before the 1950 season, Vince Johnson of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote that Antonelli was "the $75,000 bonus baby who hasn't been worth $7,500." Antonelli made only six starts throughout the season, pitching out of the bullpen in his other 14 appearances. Through July 23, his ERA was 8.44, but it sunk to 5.93 when he threw a shutout against the Cincinnati Reds in the second game of a doubleheader on July 30. In the second game of a doubleheader against the Reds on September 17, he allowed one run in a complete game, 3–1 victory. Antonelli had a 2–3 record in 1950, with a 5.93 ERA, 33 strikeouts, 22 walks, and 81 hits allowed in innings pitched. It would be three years before he pitched in the major leagues, as he spent 1951 and 1952 serving in the United States Army during the Korean War. Stationed at Fort Myer, Virginia, he posted a 42–2 record while pitching for their baseball team. During his military service, he played with future teammate and Hall of Famer Willie Mays.Barra, pp. 182–83
His two years of service over, Antonelli rejoined the Braves—now based in Milwaukee—for 1953, where he was finally a regular member of the Braves' starting rotation. On May 8, he pitched a four-hit shutout in a 2–0 win over the Chicago Cubs. He threw another shutout on June 7, allowing five hits in a 6–0 victory over the Phillies. Complete-game, one-run performances July 7 and 12 left him with an 8–4 record and a 2.86 ERA at the All-Star break, though he was not selected to the National League (NL) All-Star team. He suffered from pneumonia in the second half of the season, however, and his record was just 4–8 the rest of the year, though his ERA was 3.67. In 31 games (26 starts), he posted a 12–12 record with 71 walks, and 167 hits allowed in innings. Despite the pneumonia, Antonelli finished fifth in the NL in ERA (3.18) and seventh in the NL in strikeouts (131). With Chet Nichols Jr. returning from Korean War service in 1954, however, Braves ace Warren Spahn suggested the team trade Antonelli, as they would have had three left-handed starting pitchers otherwise, which Spahn thought would be too many.
Giants' All-Star pitcher New York (1954–57) In February 1954, Antonelli was dealt to the New York Giants as a major piece in a six-player trade for veteran outfielder Bobby Thomson, one of the most popular Giants since his "Shot Heard 'Round the World" pennant-winning home run of 1951. Mays' biographer James S. Hirsch wrote that the trade was difficult for the Giants, particularly owner Horace Stoneham, who tried to be loyal to long-time members of the organization; however, the Giants needed pitching reinforcement in order to compete.Hirsch, p. 161 "It was the best break of my career," Antonelli said of the transaction. Facing Milwaukee on June 9, he threw a seven-hit shutout, outpitching Spahn in the Giants' 4–0 triumph. On the strength of an eight-decision winning streak, he was selected to the All-Star team for the first time. He threw a three hit shutout against the Phillies on July 5; Antonelli had also allowed three hits in a shutout victory over them on April 25. Pitching on three days' rest on July 20, on a day when it was over at Crosley Field in Cincinnati, Antonelli showed what sportswriter John Drebinger called "an extraordinary display of stamina," pitching all 13 innings of a 2–1 victory over the Cincinnati Redlegs. He won 11 straight decisions from May 25 through August 1. With fellow starters Sal Maglie and Rubén Gómez, Antonelli made starting pitching the Giants' strength.Hirsch, p. 173 In 1954, Antonelli went 21–7, led the league in ERA (2.30) and shutouts (six), and pitched the Giants to the pennant. He and fellow Giant Hoyt Wilhelm led the NL in winning percentage, with a .750 mark. Antonelli, Maglie, and Gomez combined to win 52 games, complete 37 starts, and help the Giants pitchers post an ERA of 3.09, the lowest in the National League.Hirsch, p. 174 Hirsch wrote that Antonelli was "[t]he Giants' best pitcher that year," and Antonelli won The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year Award, as well as finishing third in NL Most Valuable Player (MVP) voting (the Cy Young Award had not been introduced yet).Hirsch, p. 191 Against the Cleveland Indians in the 1954 World Series, Antonelli started Game 2, pitching in and out of trouble all day but allowing one run and outpitching Hall of Famer Early Wynn to earn the victory in the Giants' 3–1 triumph.Hirsch, p. 202 "The Good Lord was on my side that game," he later said in an interview. "I don’t think I had my best stuff that day." In Game 4, he entered with one out and a runner on first in the eighth inning, then retired five of the six hitters he faced, earning a save in the 7–4 victory as the Giants pulled off a four-game sweep.
Although the post-1954 Giants, like the 1949–50 Braves, fell back in the standings, Antonelli had more years of success ahead of him. The Giants were only going to pay him $9,000 (his 1954 salary) in 1955, but teammate Alvin Dark advised him to ask for double or more. Antonelli took his advice and got $28,000. On May 1, he pitched a 16-inning complete game, allowing one run in a 2–1 triumph over Cincinnati. He had a 4–4 record through May 18 but went 3–8 over his next 14 games, posting a 5.61 ERA in that timespan. Starting July 24, he went 7–4 to finish the season, posting a 2.51 ERA. He threw a shutout against the Cardinals on August 2, striking out nine in a 3–0 victory.