Italian / American Player of the Day: Chris Coletta

Christopher Michael Coletta was born on August 2, 1944. in Brooklyn, New York. The five foot eleven, left hand hitting outfielder grew up on Long Island. He was a star player at Hicksville high school in the early sixties, getting signed by the Boston Red Sox in 1962 as an amateur free agent.

Coletta was a left hand hitting outfielder. He would spend ten seasons in the minor leagues before getting a call up as a member of the 1972 California Angels. In his minor league career he hit over .300 nine times, including batting .332 in 1972 earning the call up. He made his debut in mid August, but saw very little playing time the rest of the way.

In the first game of a double header in September, he got a pinch hit driving in a run against that years World Champion Oakland A’s. His hit came off Blue Moon Odom in the top of the 8th while down 10-0.

On September 24th he hit his only career HR off Minnesota’s Jim Perry, in the 8th inning in what turned out to be the game winner 2-1. Colletta would play in 14 games that season, getting nine hits, (9-30) good enough to bat .300. It was his only MLB season, he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in August of 1973 as a player to be named later, and finished up his baseball career in 1976.