August Rodney Mancuso (December 5, 1905 – October 26, 1984), nicknamed "Blackie", was an American professional baseball player, coach, scout and radio sports commentator. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball with the St. Louis Cardinals (1928, 1930–32, 1941–42), New York Giants (1933–38, 1942–44), Chicago Cubs (1939), Brooklyn Dodgers (1940) and Philadelphia Phillies (1945). He was a member of five National League pennant-winning teams, and played as the catcher for five pitchers who were eventually inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Mancuso was regarded as one of the top defensive catchers of the 1930s.
Baseball career
thumb|right|Mancuso with the Giants (c. 1933)
Mancuso was born in Galveston, Texas to the son of a Sicilian immigrant and the daughter of German immigrants. His father died in his forties and his mother continued to support the family by working as a midwife.
In 1927, he hit for a .372 batting average for the Syracuse Stars in the International League. He served as a reserve catcher to Jimmie Wilson who Mancuso considered one of the best catchers of the era.
In 1931 Mancuso was once again the reserve catcher to Wilson, leading the league with a 54.3% caught stealing percentage as the Cardinals won their second consecutive National League pennant.
The 1931 World Series was a rematch with the Athletics as the Cardinals were victorious in a seven-game series. Mancuso only had one plate appearance during the series as a late-inning pinch hitter. During the 1932 season, Wilson turned 32 years old and shared the catching duties with Mancuso who caught 82 games to Wilson's 75 and hit for a .284 average.
Mancuso was traded to the New York Giants before the 1933 season where new manager Bill Terry was rebuilding the team after the resignation of longtime manager John McGraw. Although Mancuso led National League catchers in errors and passed balls, he also led in games played, baserunners caught stealing, putouts and, finished second in assists and in range factor.
Under Mancuso's guidance, the Giants' pitching staff led the National League in earned run average as the team won their first pennant in nine years, then went on to defeat the Washington Senators in the 1933 World Series. In an Associated Press poll of sportswriters, Mancuso finished second to the Yankees' Bill Dickey as the majors league's all-star catcher based on his ability to handle pitchers so skillfully.
Terry credited Mancuso as a major factor in moving the Giants from sixth place in 1932 to World Series champions in 1933. Between 1933 and 1937, the Giants won three pennants and finished second and third in the other two seasons, winning at least 91 games each year with Mancuso as their regular catcher.
In 1935 Mancuso improved to hit for a .298 batting average with five home runs, and 56 runs batted in. He also earned a spot as a reserve for the National League team in the 1935 All-Star Game.
He had his best season in 1936, hitting for a .301 batting average with career-highs of nine home runs and 63 runs batted in as the Giants once again claimed the National League pennant. The Giants would go down in defeat against the powerful New York Yankees in the 1936 World Series. Mancuso finished the year ranked eighth in voting for the 1936 National League Most Valuable Player Award.
In 1937, Mancuso was hitting for a .283 average at mid-season to earn his second berth as a reserve for the National League team in the 1937 All-Star Game. A few days after the All-Star Game, a foul tip broke the ring finger on Mancuso's right hand.
The Giants clinched their second consecutive National League pennant and, once again faced the New York Yankees in the 1937 World Series. Mancuso started the first two World Series games but, when he went hitless, Danning took over as the Yankees went on to win the series in five games. Danning took over as the Giants' starting catcher for the 1938 season with Mancuso hitting a respectable .348 with a .411 on-base percentage in 52 games.
The Giants traded Mancuso to the Chicago Cubs before the 1939 season where he shared catching duties with 38-year-old player-manager Gabby Hartnett.
Mancuso returned to the Giants in 1942 as a backup catcher and pitching coach.
At the end of the 1944 season, one month before his 39th birthday, he was released by the Giants. Former teammate Freddie Fitzsimmons was managing the Philadelphia Phillies in 1945 and, convinced Mancuso to play one more season as a catcher and full-time pitching coach. Mancuso was a member of five pennant-winning teams. He caught for five pitchers who were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame (Carl Hubbell, Grover Cleveland Alexander, Dizzy Dean, Burleigh Grimes and Jesse Haines).
Coaching and broadcasting career
In 1946, Mancuso became the player-manager of the minor league Tulsa Oilers and in 1948 he took over as manager of the San Antonio Missions. In 1950, he was hired as the pitching coach for the Cincinnati Reds.
Mancuso was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 1981 and was elected to the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame in 1984. Mancuso contracted emphysema and died in 1984 at the age of 78 in Houston, Texas.
See also
- List of athletes on Wheaties boxes
- List of members of the Italian American Sports Hall of Fame