Frankie Crosetti

Crosetti was born in San Francisco, California, and grew up in North Beach, which was something of a hotbed of Italian-American talent on the baseball field during the 1920s and 1930s (Tony Lazzeri, Charlie Silvera and the three DiMaggio brothers also hail from the same neighborhood).{{cite web |author=Glader |first=Paul |date=February 21, 2002 |title=Frank Crosetti |url=http://www.geocities.com/cyberclopedia5/memorial/crow.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090902061541/http://geocities.com/cyberclopedia5/memorial/crow.html |archive-date=September 2, 2009 |website=GeoCities}} Before joining the Yankees, Crosetti played four seasons with the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League.

File:FrankieCrosettiGoudeycard.jpg

Crosetti joined the Yankees in {{baseball year|1932}}, and batted .241 with five home runs and 57 runs batted in (RBI) in 116 games while batting at the bottom of the Yankees' batting order.{{Cite web |title=Frankie Crosetti Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/crosefr01.shtml |access-date=March 16, 2023 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}} He was part of a World Series championship his first year in the big leagues as the Yankees completed a four-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs in the 1932 World Series two days shy of Crosetti's 22nd birthday.{{cite web |date= |title=1932 World Series |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1932_WS.shtml |website=Baseball-Reference.com |publisher=Sports Reference}}

The finest year of Crosetti's career came in {{baseball year|1936}}, when he played in 151 games and batted .288 with 15 home runs, 78 RBI, and 137 runs scored, all career highs. Batting lead-off, he was named an American League All-Star for the first time in his career,{{cite web |date=July 7, 1936 |title=1936 All-Star Game |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NLS/NLS193607070.shtml |website=Baseball-Reference.com |publisher=Sports Reference}} and reached the World Series for the second time. Crosetti batted .269 in the Yankees' six-game victory over the New York Giants in the 1936 World Series, and drove in the winning run in the Yankees' 2–1 victory in Game 3.{{cite web |date=October 3, 1936 |title=1936 World Series, Game Three |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA193610030.shtml |website=Baseball-Reference.com |publisher=Sports Reference}} The 1936 season was the first of a string of four World Series titles for Crosetti and the Yankees.

After a poor {{baseball year|1940}} season, he lost his starting shortstop job to Phil Rizzuto in {{baseball year|1941}}. He was given back the starting shortstop job when Rizzuto joined the Navy for battle in World War II; however, he became a reserve once again when Rizzuto rejoined the club in {{baseball year|1946}}. Crosetti then became a player/coach for the club through the {{baseball year|1948}} season.

In 29 World Series games, Crosetti batted .174 with one home run, 11 RBI, and 16 runs scored. His only World Series home run was a two-run shot off Dizzy Dean in Game 2 of the 1938 World Series that gave the Yankees a 4–3 lead over the Cubs.{{cite web |date=October 6, 1938 |title=1938 World Series, Game Two |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN193810060.shtml |website=Baseball-Reference.com |publisher=Sports Reference}} Perhaps Crosetti's second most memorable moment in postseason play occurred in Game 3 of the 1942 World Series when he shoved umpire Bill Summers, an act for which he received a $250 fine from Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis and was suspended the first 30 games of the {{baseball year|1943}} season.{{cite web |date=November 6, 1942 |title=Landis Fines Yanks Stars |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=VSsbAAAAIBAJ&pg=4778,6455460&dq |website=The Pittsburgh Press |publisher=The United Press}}

Crosetti led the American League in plate appearances twice ({{baseball year|1938}} and {{baseball year|1939}}), stolen bases once (1938), strikeouts twice ({{baseball year|1937}} and 1938) and in being hit by pitches eight times ({{baseball year|1934}}, 1936–40, {{baseball year|1942}} and {{baseball year|1945}}). He was known as the weak link in the Yankees batting order, but he was also known as a slick fielder and for his ability to pull off the hidden ball trick.{{cite web |author=Sommer |first=Mike |date=March 6, 2011 |title=Classic Yankees: Frank Crosetti |url=http://bronxbaseballdaily.com/2011/03/classic-yankees-frank-crosetti/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141023045924/http://bronxbaseballdaily.com/2011/03/classic-yankees-frank-crosetti/ |archive-date=October 23, 2014 |website=Bronx Baseball Daily}} Crosetti earned eight World Series rings as a player, and was a two-time All-Star (1936 and 1939).

Crosetti became third base coach with the Yankees in 1947 and was part of an additional nine World Series championships as a coach with the franchise after he retired as a player following the 1948 season. He was said to be the "perfect coach", because he had no ambition whatsoever to manage, turning down numerous offers over the years to do so.{{cite news|last=Grayson|first=Harry|title=Crosetti Most Typical Yankee|newspaper=New York World Telegram & Sun|date=October 3, 1957}} After 37 years, longing to be closer to his family in Northern California,{{Cite news |last=Durso |first=Joseph |date=October 5, 1968 |title=Crosetti Ends 37 Years as Yankee |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1968/10/05/archives/crosetti-ends-37-years-as-yankee.html |access-date=March 16, 2023 |issn=0362-4331}} he left the franchise to join the expansion Seattle Pilots in {{baseball year|1969}}.{{cite web |date=October 4, 1968 |title=Crosetti Ends Stint With Yanks |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Czc_AAAAIBAJ&pg=3681,5449973&dq |website=The Windsor Star |agency=UPI}} He moved to the Minnesota Twins from {{baseball year|1970}} to {{baseball year|1971}}, after the Pilots (who became the Milwaukee Brewers) didn't renew his contract.{{cite news |last=Lamey |first=Mike |date=April 25, 1970 |title=Frank Crosetti -- Baseball's No.1 Traffic Cop |newspaper=Minneapolis Star}}

It has been said of Crosetti that he has waved home 16,000 runners in 25 years in the third-base coaching box.{{cite magazine |author=Blount Jr. |first=Roy |date=May 10, 1971 |title=A Chance To Stay In A Young Man's Game |url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1971/05/10/a-chance-to-stay-in-a-young-mans-game |access-date=March 16, 2023 |magazine=Sports Illustrated}}

File:Frank Crosetti grave.jpg

Crosetti died in 2002 at age 91 from complications of a fall in Stockton, California and was entombed at Holy Cross Cemetery in Colma. He was survived by his wife of 63 years, Norma, his son, John, and his daughter, Ellen.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/13/sports/frank-crosetti-91-a-fixture-in-yankee-pinstripes-is-dead.html?pagewanted=2&src=pm|first=Richard |last=Goldstein|date=February 13, 2002|title=Frank Crosetti, 91, a Fixture In Yankee Pinstripes, Is Dead|newspaper=The New York Times | page=2}} He was the last surviving member of the 1932, 1936, 1937, and 1939 World Champion New York Yankees.

{{Portal|Biography|Baseball}}

• List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders
• List of Major League Baseball annual stolen base leaders
• List of Major League Baseball players who spent their entire career with one franchise

{{reflist|30em}}

{{Commons}}

{{Baseballstats|mlb=112861|espn=20589|br=c/crosefr01|fangraphs=1002802}}, or [http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=crosefr01 Baseball Almanac]

{{start box}}

{{succession box|title=New York Yankees third-base coach|years=1949–1968|before=Chuck Dressen|after=Dick Howser}}

{{succession box|title=Seattle Pilots third-base coach|years=1969|before=Franchise established|after=Cal Ermer
1970 Milwaukee Brewers}}

{{succession box|title=Minnesota Twins third-base coach|years=1970–1971|before=Johnny Goryl|after=Ralph Rowe}}

{{end box}}

{{1932 New York Yankees}}

{{1936 New York Yankees}}

{{1937 New York Yankees}}

{{1938 New York Yankees}}

{{1939 New York Yankees}}

{{1941 New York Yankees}}

{{1943 New York Yankees}}

{{1947 New York Yankees}}

{{1949 New York Yankees}}

{{1950 New York Yankees}}

{{1951 New York Yankees}}

{{1952 New York Yankees}}

{{1953 New York Yankees}}

{{1956 New York Yankees}}

{{1958 New York Yankees}}

{{1961 New York Yankees}}

{{1962 New York Yankees}}

{{AL stolen base champions}}

{{PCL Hall of Fame}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crosetti, Frankie}}

Category:1910 births

Category:2002 deaths

Category:Baseball coaches from California

Category:American people of Italian descent

Category:American League All-Stars

Category:American League stolen base champions

Category:Baseball players from San Francisco

Category:Burials at Holy Cross Cemetery (Colma, California)

Category:Major League Baseball shortstops

Category:Major League Baseball third base coaches

Category:Minnesota Twins coaches

Category:New York Yankees coaches

Category:New York Yankees players

Category:Baseball players from New Rochelle, New York

Category:San Francisco Seals (baseball) players

Category:Seattle Pilots coaches

Category:Deaths from falls

Category:20th-century American sportsmen