:Lou Polli

{{short description|American baseball player (1901-2000)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2018}}

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name=Lou Polli

|position=Pitcher

|image=Lou Polli.jpeg

|bats=Right

|throws=Right

|birth_date={{Birth date|1901|7|9|mf=y}}

|birth_place=Baveno, Italy

|death_date={{death date and age|2000|12|19|1901|7|9}}

|death_place=Berlin, Vermont, U.S.

|debutleague = MLB

|debutdate=April 18

|debutyear=1932

|debutteam=St. Louis Browns

|finalleague = MLB

|finaldate=July 7

|finalyear=1944

|finalteam=New York Giants

|statleague = MLB

|stat1label=Win–loss record

|stat1value=0–2

|stat3label=Strikeouts

|stat3value=11

|stat2label=Earned run average

|stat2value=4.68

|teams=

• St. Louis Browns ({{mlby|1932}})
• New York Giants ({{mlby|1944}})

}}

Louis Americo Polli (July 9, 1901 – December 19, 2000), nicknamed "Crip", was an Italian-born professional baseball relief pitcher.

Polli first played in the majors with the St. Louis Browns in 1932, pitching 6{{fraction|2|3}} innings with a 5.40 earned run average.

Polli would not play again in the major-leagues until 1944, a period of 12 seasons, when he pitched 35{{fraction|2|3}} innings for the New York Giants, with a 4.54 earned run average. Polli's MLB career ERA was 4.68.

One of the greatest pitchers in minor-league history, the lanky righthander was the first major league player born in Italy, being one of only seven Italian-born players in MLB as of 2017. Polli compiled a career minor league lifetime mark of 236–226 through 22 seasons.{{cite web |url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/lou-polli/ |title=Lou Polli |first1=Tom |last1=Simon |website=sabr.org |publisher=Society for American Baseball Research |access-date=December 28, 2018}}

At the time of his death in 2000, aged 99, Polli was the oldest living former MLB player.