Johnny Rizzo

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Johnny Rizzo (July 30, 1912 – December 4, 1977) was an American Major League Baseball outfielder who played from 1938 to 1942. He was born in Houston, Texas, and died there at age 65. He batted and threw right-handed. Rizzo debuted with the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 19, 1938, and played his last MLB game for the Brooklyn Dodgers on September 25, 1942.

In his rookie season with the Pirates, Rizzo set a team record with 23 home runs and hit .301 with 111 RBIs, 167 hits, 31 doubles and nine triples. He also collected nine RBIs in a single game on May 30, 1939, a Pirates record that stood at least through 2008. In 1938 he was among the league leaders and finished sixth in NL MVP voting.

In 1939, his batting fell to .261 with six home runs and 55 RBIs, though he had a standout nine-RBI game in May. In 1940, he started with the Pirates but was traded to the Cincinnati Reds on May 8 for Vince DiMaggio, who then traded him to the Philadelphia Phillies on June 15 for Morrie Arnovich. With the Reds he hit .282 with four home runs in 31 games; with the Phillies he hit .292 with 20 home runs in 103 games. For 1940 overall he hit .283 with 24 home runs and 72 RBIs, finishing third in the NL in home runs.

Rizzo played the full 1941 season for the Phillies, batting .217 with four home runs in 99 games. After the season, he was purchased by the Brooklyn Dodgers on December 10, 1941. He played 78 games for the Dodgers in 1942, hitting .230 with four home runs, and appeared in his final MLB game on September 25, 1942.

In five seasons and 557 games, Rizzo posted a .270 batting average (497 hits) with 61 home runs, 289 RBIs, and 200 walks. He defended at all three outfield positions and even played some third base, finishing with a .961 fielding percentage. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy as a Seaman in December 1942.