A Pirates Slugger, Italian Meats and Cheeses, a Reds Pitcher, and a Dentist

The story of slugging outfielder Dino Restelli is one of the great mysteries in the history of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Pirates acquired him in a trade with the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League on June 10, 1949.

After a surprising 83-71 record and fourth-place finish in 1948, the Bucs were looking to be a factor in the National League in 1949.

Alas, on June 10, they were 18-31 and sat in seventh place.

Dino Restelli Joins the Pirates Thus, the addition of the bespectacled 24-year-old right-handed hitter was greeted enthusiastically by Pirates fans and the Pittsburgh media.

It was front-page news in two of the three Pittsburgh daily newspapers.

Restelli was hitting .351/.433/.556, 10 HR, and 65 RBI in 72 games for the Seals.

The media played up his Italian heritage.

His parents were born in Italy and his father was a chef.

The papers noted that Dino wasnt such a bad cook himself.

It didnt escape notice that he hailed from the same city as the DiMaggio brothers, a trio of pretty fair Italian ballplayers in their own right.

The press said he hit home runs like Joe , wore glasses like Dominic , and had a strong arm.

He Cant Miss His manager in San Francisco, Lefty ODoul, said, Restelli needs somebody to constantly prod him and as long as he takes the game seriously, he cant miss in the majors.

The Associated Press couldnt resist consulting another expert, albeit one whose judgment was perhaps biased.

Pictured in a chefs hat and apron behind a large pot of spaghetti, Dinos father, Paul, said, He has everything it takes.

If they just play him and dont keep him on the bench, hell make good.

He cant lose.

I Couldnt Imagine the Response The papers reported on Restellis progress to Pittsburgh until he finally arrived.

Like many northeastern cities in the United States, Pittsburgh was divided into ethnic neighborhoods and still is to an extent today, although today these sections arent as ethnic as they once were.

Italians settled in Pittsburghs Bloomfield, Oakland, and East Liberty sections, the latter of which Restelli lived in a rooming house.

They were ready when Restelli hit the town.

I couldnt imagine the response I received from the Italian community the first night of my stay in Pittsburgh, Restelli told me in a 1998 letter.

They gave me a night in an East Liberty Italian Club & presented me with a wristwatch.

I Could Tell from the Feel of the Bat At last, he made his major league debut on June 14 against the Boston Braves at Forbes Field.

He was hitless on that day.

It was his second game with the Pirates that caused the baseball world to take notice of Restelli.

Hitting third and playing right field, he went 3-for-5 with two home runs and five RBI against future Hall-of-Famer Warren Spahn .

The second homer was a two-run shot in the bottom of the ninth inning.

It brought the Pirates to within one run of the Braves as they mounted a comeback to win, 8-7.

Restelli told Dan McGibbeny of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette , It sure was a thrill when I hit that first one.

I could tell from the feel of the bat when it connected with Spahns fast one that itd go all the way.

Restelli repeated the feat at Forbes Field on June 22, when he hit two home runs off another future Hall-of-Famer, Robin Roberts of the Philadelphia Phillies, en route to a 12-3 triumph.

They were his fourth and fifth homers of the season.

Pirates fans drooled as they imagined the possibilities with a slugging outfield trio of Ralph Kiner , Wally Westlake , and Restelli.

By Restellis first 12 games, he was hitting .333/.407/.813, 7 HR, and 14 RBI.

All of his homers came off the games top pitchers.

Besides Spahn and Roberts, there was Ralph Branca , Larry Jansen , and Curt Simmons .

He didnt hit any more bombs in June, but he finished the month hitting .356/.424/.763.

Meanwhile, Pittsburghs Italian community went crazy over its new hero.

Kyle Lewis of the @Mariners is the first player in the live-ball era to hit a home run in 6 of his first 10 career games.

The only other players with 6+ HR thru 10 career games? Aristides Aquino 7 (2018-19) Trevor Story 7 (2016) Dino Restelli 6 (1949) #TrueToTheBlue OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) September 21, 2019 Italian Meats and Cheeses Dad told me tales of Restelli taking the field at Forbes Field and immediately being showered with gifts from the Italians in the outfield stands.

They presented Restelli with grocery bags filled with salami, capicola, soppressata, provolone, and mozzarella.

The start of the game would be delayed while these goodies were transported to the clubhouse.

The Pirates used to store the batting cage on Forbes Fields center field warning track.

Baseball must have had a rule against keeping an Italian deli there as well.

Unfortunately, after June, Restelli stopped hitting.

From July to the end of the year, he hit .214/.337.347, 5 HR, and 25 RBI.

He didnt hit a home run after August 21.

He finished the 1949 season with a stat line of .250/.358/.453, 12 HR, 40 RBI, and 114 OPS+.

So, what happened? The Dentist Did It! Theories abounded.

One theory suggested that pitchers began to introduce Restelli to the curveball.

Thats not true, Restelli told Bob Smizik of The Pittsburgh Press in 1988.

After recounting the times he homered off curveballs, he said, I could hit the curve.

On different occasions, Kiner and long-time Pirates broadcaster Bob Prince traced the decline of Restelli to the second game of a July 4 doubleheader in Cincinnati.

Ewell Blackwell was pitching for the Reds.

Restelli was in the batters box when he called time to clean his glasses, which often fogged up on hot summer days.

He took too long for Blackwells tastes.

Well, I was on deck, and I knew what was coming, said Kiner.

Echoed Prince, If you knew Blackwell, you knew what was coming.

Both described the next pitch as a high, hard one at Restellis neck.

The conventional wisdom goes that Restelli was never the same after that.

Thats not true, Restelli told Smizik.

He hit me, its true, but it was on my hand.

.

.

He bruised my hand and I was back in the lineup in three days.

Two days, according to official records.

Restelli blamed a dentist in the Oakland section who extracted Restellis wisdom teeth during the All-Star break.

The dentist cut an artery in my jaw, explained Restelli.

I told him, Would you please stitch it up? He didnt think it needed it.

He continued, I bled for three days.

I caught a deep stomach virus.

By the end of the season, I weighed 168 pounds.

The official record indicates he weighed 191 pounds in his playing days.

The Last Word If you can stand one more theory, heres mine: Restelli was never a Ruthian slugger in the first place.

Hed never hit more than 18 home runs in any minor league season, even though most of his minor league career was spent in the hitter-friendly PCL.

Too much was expected of him.

When expectations are unreasonably high, the story seldom ends well.

After spending 1950 in the minors, Restelli made the Pirates squad out of spring training in 1951.

However, after going 7-for-38 in 21 games, he was sent to the minor leagues, never to return to the majors again.

This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission..

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