Salvatore Anthony Maglie (April 26, 1917 – December 28, 1992) was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB), and later a scout and a pitching coach. He played from 1945 to 1958 for the New York Giants, Cleveland Indians, Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Yankees, and St. Louis Cardinals. Maglie was known as "Sal the Barber", because he gave close shaves—that is, pitched inside to hitters. A gentle personality off the field went unnoticed during games, his foreboding physical appearance contributing to his menacing presence on a pitcher's mound. He was the last of 14 players to play for the Giants, Dodgers and Yankees at a time when all three teams were in New York City. During a 10-year major league baseball career, Maglie compiled 119 wins, 862 strikeouts, and a 3.15 earned run average.
For the rest of the 1940 season, Maglie pitched for the Class D Jamestown Falcons of the Pennsylvania–Ontario–New York League (PONY League), where he had a lower ERA (2.74) and a 3–4 record in seven starts. His ERA was 2.67. He made his first major league start on August 14, throwing a complete game and allowing just two runs in a 5–2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. In his next start, he threw a shutout against the Pittsburgh Pirates, allowing only three hits. On September 3 and September 7, he threw two more shutouts in back-to-back outings.
Mexican League, suspension (1946–1949)
A candidate to rejoin the Giants' rotation in 1946, Maglie attended spring training with the ballclub but was not happy with how he was treated by Mel Ott, the Giants' manager. Mexican League president Jorge Pasquel, whom Maglie had met while playing winter ball in Cuba during the 1945-46 offseason, was offering large contracts to players who would leave the major leagues to come play in the Mexican League, and Maglie accepted the offer. Because of this, Maglie was banned from organized baseball by Commissioner Happy Chandler along with other players who left. For the next two seasons, he pitched for the Pericos de Puebla, managed by Dolf Luque, who had been Maglie's pitching coach with the Giants and his Cuban winter league team. It was from Luque that Maglie learned the art of throwing high, inside pitches that just missed the batters' heads, diminishing their confidence.
Several other major leaguers, such as Max Lanier, Danny Gardella, and Mickey Owen, had also made the jump to the Mexican League, but the presence of these players failed to generate enough revenue to justify expenses. With the Mexican League in disarray, Maglie stopped pitching for Puebla after 1947, but he could not rejoin the Giants because he was still banned. He joined a barnstorming team in 1948 that Lanier had organized; however, the team's earnings failed to cover expenses, and they folded in August 1948. Maglie went back to Niagara Falls and purchased a house and a gas station, but he still wanted to play baseball and joined the Drummondville Cubs of the independent Provincial League in 1949, leading the team to a league championship. but Maglie chose to spend the entire season with Drummondville. He returned to the Giants in 1950. On July 21, he got a chance to start and worked 11 innings, emerging the victor in a 5–4 triumph over the Cardinals. From August 16 through September 4, he threw 45 consecutive scoreless innings, narrowly missing the National League (NL) record of straight scoreless innings set by Hall of Famer Carl Hubbell, also of the Giants, in 1933. Included in the streak were four straight shutouts, the most by a major leaguer since Doc White threw five straight in 1904. Hubbell congratulated Maglie after the game, and as of 2020, the streak was still the eighth-longest in major league history (tied with Cy Young's 1904 streak and White's 1904 streak). After losing a game on July 16, Maglie won 11 decisions in a row, not losing again until September 21, his final loss of the season. He finished 10th in NL Most Valuable Player (MVP) voting after the season. After back-to-back losses in April, he won nine games in a row from April 30 through June 5. On May 27, he gave up just two hits in a 2–0 shutout victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. Three hits were all he allowed on June 26 in a 4–0, shutout victory over the Brooklyn Dodgers. He was named to the All-Star Game, the first of two consecutive selections. In the thick of a pennant race with the Dodgers, the Giants trailed by 11 games on August 11. Beginning August 12, Maglie won five decisions in a row and only lost one more game the full season, posting an 8–1 record and a 2.50 ERA down the stretch as the Giants forced a tie with the Dodgers at the end of the season. Against the Boston Braves on September 29, Maglie outpitched future Hall of Famer Warren Spahn, allowing five hits and no runs in a 3–0 shutout victory. Maglie and teammate Larry Jansen tied for the NL lead with 23 wins, and Maglie lost just six games while ranking among the league leaders in win percentage (.793, topped only by Preacher Roe's .880), ERA (2.93, topped only by Chet Nichols's 2.88), strikeouts (146, topped only by Don Newcombe's and Spahn's 164), and innings pitched (298, topped only by Robin Roberts's 315 and Spahn's ). He finished fourth in NL MVP voting. However, the Giants rallied in the ninth, ultimately winning on Bobby Thomson's Shot Heard 'Round the World home run. The Giants faced the New York Yankees in the 1951 World Series, and Maglie started Game 4 but took the loss after giving up four runs in five innings, including a fifth-inning home run to Joe DiMaggio that reporter James Hirsch called "the turning point of the game." The Giants lost the series in six games.
After his stellar 1951 season, Maglie wanted a $40,000 contract from the Giants, but the team only wanted to pay him $32,500 for the season. The parties agreed to a compromise of $35,000 on February 21, 1952. Maglie started the 1952 season with a nine-game winning streak, including three shutouts. After Willie Mays left to serve a term in the United States Army on May 29, however, Maglie struggled in his next five starts, attributing part of the problem to the loss of Mays. "You didn't have to worry about striking guys out all the time...you knew that somehow Willie would get [balls hit to centerfield]. That takes a lot of pressure off the pitcher and gives him a chance to save his best stuff for the real tight spots." On June 26, he held the Dodgers to three hits in a 3–0 shutout. He also threw a shutout on August 9, allowing eight hits in the first game of a doubleheader against the Chicago Cubs. At season's end, Maglie was again among the league leaders in several statistics, including wins (18, topped only by Roberts's 28), winning percentage (.692, sixth), ERA (2.92, tenth), strikeouts (112, tied with Murry Dickson for tenth), and shutouts (five, tied with three others for third). He finished 23rd in NL MVP voting. In the first game of a doubleheader against Pittsburgh on May 10, he gave up just three hits in a 4–0 shutout victory. On June 24, he picked up his third shutout of the season in a 3–0 victory over the Cardinals. However, he suffered from back problems that year and never pitched more than innings in a game after July 16, posting an 8.88 ERA and losing all five of his decisions after that date. In 27 games (24 starts), he had an 8–9 record, a 4.15 ERA, 80 strikeouts, 47 walks, and 158 hits allowed in innings. In the first game of a doubleheader against Philadelphia on April 25, 1954, he threw a five-hit shutout in a 3–0 victory. On April 30 against the Cubs, he gave up two runs in 14 innings, winning the game after Mays hit a go-ahead run against Warren Hacker in the top of the 14th. He also beat the Cubs on July 21, allowing four hits and one run in a complete game, 2–1 victory. Against Cincinnati on July 31, he threw shutout innings and picked up the win. He allowed five hits and one run on August 27 in a complete game, 3–1 victory over the Braves. On September 20, 1954, he faced the Dodgers in a game that would clinch the pennant for the Giants if they prevailed. Despite a sore back, Maglie held them to one run in a complete game, 7–1 victory. The last out was a ground ball hit by Roy Campanella to the mound that Maglie tossed to first baseman Whitey Lockman; once the out was recorded, Lockman rushed to meet his pitcher and jumped in his arms in celebration. Even after throwing his no-hitter in 1956, Maglie still considered his September 20 start the best game he had ever pitched. Maglie finished the season with a 14–6 record and a 3.26 ERA in 34 games (32 starts). Maglie ranked among the league leaders in wins (14, tied with Gene Conley and Curt Simmons for ninth), winning percentage (.700, 6), ERA (3.26, eighth), and strikeouts (117, eighth). He finished 22nd in NL MVP voting. The Giants went on to sweep the Indians and claim the Word Series title.
In 1955, Maglie's back continued to bother him. On April 23, against the Dodgers at Ebbets Field, Maglie had been throwing brushback pitches past the heads of several Brooklyn hitters. In the fourth inning, Jackie Robinson dropped down a bunt, intending to retaliate for the knockdown pitch by crashing into Maglie as he fielded the ball. But Maglie did not come off the pitching mound and Robinson instead collided with Davey Williams, who was covering first base. Williams was knocked to the ground in pain and had to leave the game, and Alvin Dark attempted to fight Robinson. Both benches cleared, but umpire Tom Gorman kept Dark from doing anything more than yelling. Dark got revenge in the fifth by running hard into Robinson at third base. The two exchanged words again, but umpire Babe Pinelli kept things from getting out of hand. The Dodgers went on to win 3–1.
Following the game in Brooklyn, Maglie won eight decisions in a row, and nine out of ten through July 2. After July 2, though, he only once made it past the fifth inning and posted an 8.49 ERA in seven games, bothered some by the hot 1955 summer. He was placed on waivers in July and claimed by the Cleveland Indians on July 31. Without a win since July 9 of the previous year, on June 4, he allowed only three hits against the Braves, whom the Dodgers were in a pennant race against. From that point on, he served as a starter the rest of the year for the Dodgers. In the first game of a doubleheader against the Cardinals on August 5, he allowed just four hits in a 7–0 shutout victory. He allowed just one hit to the Giants in Game 2 of a doubleheader on September 1 but had to leave the game with one out in the sixth after he threw his glove to the ground in disgust over Artie Gore calling four straight balls on Foster Castleman; throwing the glove to the ground out of anger results in an automatic ejection. Though he got a no-decision, the Dodgers triumphed 5–0. On September 25, he threw a no-hitter against the Phillies in a 5–0 Dodger triumph at Ebbets Field. He had a sterling comeback season for the Dodgers in 1956 (who won the NL pennant by one game over the Milwaukee Braves and two games over the Cincinnati Reds), going 13–5 with 2.89 ERA (2.87 not counting his two Cleveland appearances), 110 strikeouts, 54 walks, and 160 hits allowed in 196 innings pitched. His 2.87 ERA in the NL ranked fourth, behind Lew Burdette's 2.70, Spahn's 2.78, and Johnny Antonelli's 2.87. He finished second to teammate Don Newcombe in balloting for the first ever Cy Young Award, and was also second to Newcombe in MVP balloting.
Maglie was expected to be the Dodgers' Game 1 starter in the 1956 World Series on October 3, but an upset stomach and a stiff shoulder experienced a couple days before left his status in doubt. Ultimately, Maglie did make the start, allowing three runs in a complete game and outpitching future Hall of Famer Whitey Ford as the Dodgers beat the Yankees 6–3. Maglie said after the game: "This was my greatest thrill. Yes, even more of a thrill than my no-hitter. They claim you can't have everything you want in life, but believe me, with this series victory, I have close to all I ever wished for." Maglie appeared on the game show What's My Line? the night before he started Game 5 of the Series as one of the panel members, along with former Yankee Phil Rizzuto. He held the Yankees to two runs in another complete game effort in Game 5 but suffered the loss because Don Larsen threw a perfect game for the Yankees, who won the series in seven games. In recognition of Maglie's performance in 1956, the Chicago Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association honored him with the William Wrigley Jr. Award for "'comeback' of the year."
In an article released during 1957 spring training, Dodger manager Walter Alston previewed his team: "Sal Maglie showed me he makes up for his years with a wise head and strong arm. He's good for several more years yet." In his first start of the year, on April 18, he allowed just four hits and one unearned run in a 6–1 victory over the Pirates. Through May 30, he had a 3.16 ERA, but Maglie was inactive from that date until July 2, bothered by a sore thumb. In his July 2 return, he threw a four-hit shutout against the Giants. Over the next two months, he posted a 2.83 ERA. No one did claim him, and the Yankees acquired him for $37,500 and two Triple-A players that the Dodgers could pick. However, since the trade was not finalized until September 1, Maglie was not eligible to pitch in the World Series for New York that year, as players acquired after the August 31 deadline were ineligible. Cheered during his first game at Yankee Stadium, Maglie tipped his hat to the crowd. He only made three starts for the Yankees but won two of them, including a game against the Indians on September 11 when he held Cleveland to three hits and outpitched future Hall of Famer Early Wynn in a 5–0 shutout victory. Though he was playing for the Yankees at the time, Maglie attended the final Giants game at the Polo Grounds, honored in pregame festivities on September 29, 1957. In 19 games (17 starts) for Brooklyn, he had a 6–6 record, a 2.93 ERA, 50 strikeouts, 26 walks, and 94 hits allowed in innings pitched. With the Yankees in six games (three starts), he had a 2–0 record, a 1.73 ERA, nine strikeouts, seven walks, and 22 hits allowed in 26 innings pitched. His combined numbers between the two ballclubs were an 8–6 record, a 2.69 ERA, 59 strikeouts, 33 walks, and 116 hits allowed in innings.
A part of the Yankees roster in 1958, the 41-year-old Maglie was not used until May 18, the 23rd game of the year for New York, though there were no reports of this being due to injury. In the first game of a doubleheader against the Senators that day, he picked up the victory, allowing two runs over eight innings and hitting a three-run home run against Pedro Ramos in a 5–2 triumph. Maglie only made two more starts for the Yankees after that and posted a 4.63 ERA in his first seven games.
With the Cardinals, Maglie joined the starting rotation and won his first two starts, allowing one run in seven innings against the Braves on June 22 and allowing one run in a complete game against the Phillies on June 28. In 10 starts with St. Louis, he had a 2–6 record, a 4.75 ERA, 21 strikeouts, 25 walks, and 46 hits allowed in 53 innings pitched. His combined totals between the Cardinals and Yankees were a 3–7 record, a 4.72 ERA, 28 strikeouts, 34 walks, and 73 hits allowed in innings pitched.
Legacy and career statistics
thumb|right|Sign from [[Sal Maglie Stadium in Maglie's hometown of Niagara Falls]]
Bill Madden, sportswriter for the New York Daily News, wrote that Maglie would never be a Hall of Famer unless "there’s a Hall of Fame just for pitchers whom you wanted to have the ball in a game you had to win." and he had a 23–11 record against the Dodgers, archrival of the Giants, including a streak at Ebbets Field where he won 11 of 12 decisions. During his 10-season career, Maglie pitched in three World Series (winning in 1954 with the Giants), and he was twice a member of the NL All-Star team.
During his time with the Giants, Maglie developed a rivalry with Dodger hitter Carl Furillo. Once, after surviving one of Maglie's close shave pitches, Furillo threw his bat at the pitcher. However, after Maglie was acquired by the Dodgers in 1956, the two became friends and even roommates at times. Maglie had special advice for when Mays was batting. "You have to throw at him twice," he told Drysdale, observing that Mays would not expect a second brushback pitch.
Willie Mays told a story in his autobiography of hitting a home run against Maglie after Maglie went to the Dodgers. However, the only home run Maglie gave up to the Giants while wearing a Dodger uniform was to Ray Jablonski, not Mays. As of August 2020, Sal Maglie Stadium is the home of the Niagara University Purple Eagles and the Niagara Power of the New York Collegiate Baseball League.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align=: right,"
! W !! L !! PCT !! ERA !! G !! GS !! CG !! SHO !! SV !! IP !! H !! R !! ER !! HR !! BB !! SO !! HBP !! WP !! BF !! WHIP
|-
! 119 !! 62 !! .657 !! 3.15 !! 303 !! 232 !! 93 !! 25 !! 14 !! 1723 !! 1591 !! 684 !! 603 !! 169 !! 562 !! 862 !! 44 !! 18 !! 7182 !! 1.250
|} Instead, the Cardinals hired him to scout and serve as a minor league coach. Not enjoying the arrangement, Maglie did not renew his contract for the 1960 season. Under his tutelage, Bill Monbouquette had 17 strikeouts in a game in 1961 and quoted Maglie after the feat. "Sal talked about stuff like ‘move this guy off the plate, move his feet, move his legs,’ and oh, he did preach: ‘throw that ball inside!’ And he didn't mean pitch to get a strike on the inside corner. He meant you've got to set that hitter up with a pitch way inside!"
Maglie did not initially pursue another coaching job because his wife, Kay, was diagnosed with cancer in 1963. He invested in local businesses around Niagara Falls, engaged in public speaking, and joined the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) in 1965. The NYSAC post forced him to turn down an offer to return to the Red Sox in 1965, but he signed a two-year contract to become their pitching coach again in 1966. He was the pitching coach for the "Impossible Dream" Red Sox that went all the way to the 1967 World Series before losing in seven games to the Cardinals. Jim Lonborg, the AL Cy Young Award winner that season, credited his effectiveness that year to Maglie's lessons on pitching inside. Williams had wanted to choose his own pitching coach when he became Boston's manager in 1967, but he was unable to since Maglie was still under contract for one year. Bouton commented that Maglie rarely gave useful advice to the pitchers, and frequently second-guessed their choice of pitches, often contradicting his previous second guessing. In one such instance, Bouton related:
<blockquote>[Maglie] had quite an adventure tonight. Darrell Brandon pitching, and with Rod Carew on third base he's using a full wind-up. At the last moment he decides to take a look over at Carew, who's taking a pretty good lead. So he backs off the rubber and Sal yells at him, "For crissakes, get the hitter. The runner isn't going anyplace."
So Darrell winds up and lets fly. And Carew steals home.
When Darrell comes into the dugout at the end of the inning, Maglie lets him have it. "Dammit", he says. "You know you've got to pitch from the stretch in that situation."</blockquote>
Bouton and Maglie clashed over the knuckleball, which Bouton wanted to throw exclusively; Maglie preferred that he throw other pitches as well. The Pilots filed for bankruptcy after the season and moved to Milwaukee, where they became the Brewers; Maglie was not retained as the organization's pitching coach for 1970. He served as the general manager of his hometown Niagara Falls Pirates that season, his final baseball-related job. Despite the intimidating appearance, the New York Times wrote that in person, he "had a gentle, polite manner with a voice as soft as that of a priest in a confessional." Another writer referred to him as "God's Gift to Gillette." Willie Mays summarized his reason for throwing inside: "He always liked to be in complete control of a game, and the way he did this, or thought he had to do it, was by pitching batters close. You always had to worry about a brushback pitch from him. You knew he would throw it, but you didn't know how close he would make it." "You could catch Sal sitting in a rocking chair," said Wes Westrum, who caught him with the Giants. "Perfect control."
In 1958, Maglie wrote an article about pitching for Sports Illustrated, where he listed three characteristics of a successful major league pitcher: "1) control, both of his pitches and of himself; 2) confidence and determination; [and] 3) knowledge and experience." By control, he meant the ability "to put the ball exactly where [the pitcher] wants it every time." By confidence and determination, he meant "the kind that keeps a pitcher going when everything says to him that he is beaten, the kind that just won't permit him to quit." By knowledge, he meant "deep inside knowledge" gained both through experience and "an awful lot of study and experimentation."
Personal life
right|thumb|Maglie's grave at St. Joseph's Cemetery in Niagara Falls
In March 1941, Maglie eloped with Kay Pileggi, whom he had dated for a while; the couple was married in a Catholic ceremony in May of that year. They adopted a boy, Sal Jr., in 1955, and another son, Joseph, in 1963, after Sal Sr. had finished his first coaching stint with the Red Sox.
Maglie appeared as a special guest on the CBS television show, I've Got a Secret, on the September 22, 1954 episode.
During the 1970s, Maglie was employed by a wholesale liquor distributor as a salesman. Later in the decade, he worked for the Niagara Falls Convention Bureau as their membership coordinator. He retired in 1979. Golf was a hobby of his in retirement, and he would sign autographs at card shows and pitch in old-timers' games.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball annual ERA leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual wins leaders
- List of Major League Baseball no-hitters