Ricky Paul Bottalico (; born August 26, 1969) is an American former professional baseball right-handed relief pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals, Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Mets, and Milwaukee Brewers. He compiled a career 3.99 earned run average (ERA), with 116 saves.
Early life
Bottalico played for South Catholic High School in Hartford, Connecticut under coach Tom DiFiore. Bottalico went on to attend Florida Southern College before transferring to Central Connecticut State as a catcher. He was made a pitcher and eventually became the team's top reliever. Bottalico received little attention from scouts, went undrafted in the 1991 Major League Baseball draft, and played that summer for an insurance company in an amateur men's league in Connecticut. A Phillies scout saw him throwing and signed him for $2,000.
Professional career
He made his Major League debut with the Phillies on July 29, 1994, against the Atlanta Braves at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium. He pitched a scoreless inning in the 1996 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. After suffering an elbow injury and clashing with manager Terry Francona, Bottalico was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals along with Garrett Stephenson in 1998. He also occasionally substitutes as the play-by-play commentator. Since August 1, 2022, he appears on "The Best Show Ever?" on 97.5 The Fanatic and NBC Sports Philadelphia. Following the end of "The Best Show Ever?" he was retained by the station is now featured on "Unfiltered" with co-host Bill Colarullo in the same time slot.