Tony Freitas

Antonio "Tony" Freitas, Jr. (May 5, 1908 – March 13, 1994) was an American athlete who played as a pitcher in the minor leagues and Major League Baseball, spending most of his career with the Sacramento Senators of the Pacific Coast League. He played in the majors with the Philadelphia Athletics (1932–1933) and the Cincinnati Reds (1934–1936). He batted right-handed and threw left-handed.[1]

Tony Freitas
Pitcher
Born: (1908-05-05)May 5, 1908
Mill Valley, California
Died: March 13, 1994(1994-03-13) (aged 85)
Orangevale, California
Batted: Right Threw: Left
MLB debut
May 31, 1932, for the Philadelphia Athletics
Last MLB appearance
May 31, 1936, for the Cincinnati Reds
MLB statistics
Win–loss record25–33
Earned run average4.48
Strikeouts135
Teams
Career highlights and awards
  • Most career wins by a left-handed minor league pitcher (342)
  • Nine 20-game seasons (tied for 1st in the minors)
  • PCL Hall of Fame (2003)

Born in Mill Valley, California, Freitas attended Tamalpais High School in the mid-1920s. He was recruited by the Senators, playing with two of their Arizona farm clubs in 1928 and 1929. He moved up to the PCL with the Senators during the 1929 season.[2] He won 19 games in both the 1930 and 1931 seasons.

After pitching a no-hitter on his birthday in 1932, Frietas moved up to the Philadelphia Athletics for two seasons, followed by three with the Cincinnati Reds. He went back down to the minors during the 1936 season, returning to the Sacramento team (now named the Solons) in 1937.

Freitas served in the US Army Air Corps during World War II from 1943 to 1945.[3] He returned to the PCL with the Solons after the war, playing there into the 1950 season. He completed his 25-year playing career with four seasons in the California League, playing for the Modesto Reds in 1950 and 1951 and for the Stockton Ports in 1952 and 1953. He was the manager of the Solons in the 1954 and 1955 seasons.

With 342 wins in the minors, Freitas is fourth all-time and is the winningest left-handed pitcher. He won 20 or more games nine times. He has been selected for the Pacific Coast League's Hall of Fame and for its All-Century Team.

Freitas died in Orangevale, California at the age of 85.

References
  1. The Baseball Cube, Tony Freitas, accessed March 9, 2008
  2. Alan O'Connor, Gold on the Diamond: Sacramento's Greatest Baseball Players 1886 to 1976, pp. 74-76, accessed March 10, 2008
  3. David L. Porter, Biographical Dictionary of American Sports, pp. 512-513, accessed March 9, 2008
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