Thaddeus Stanley "Ted" Lepcio (July 28, 1929 – December 11, 2019) was an American professional baseball utility infielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago White Sox, and Minnesota Twins.[1]
| Ted Lepcio | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Infielder | |
| Born: July 28, 1929 Utica, New York, U.S. | |
| Died: December 11, 2019 (aged 90) Dedham, Massachusetts, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 15, 1952, for the Boston Red Sox | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 11, 1961, for the Minnesota Twins | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .245 |
| Home runs | 69 |
| Runs batted in | 251 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
Lepcio attended Seton Hall University. A one-time semi-professional baseball player in Oneida, New York, he was signed by the Boston Red Sox, as an amateur free agent, in 1951. Lepcio played his first MLB game, in 1952, and would play most of his professional career with the Red Sox. He was generally a utility infielder who could play second base, third base, or shortstop. Lepcio's best year was 1956, when he hit 15 home runs, nine of which came in an eighteen-day stretch.[1] He is mentioned in Jimmy Piersall's book, Fear Strikes Out, as his roommate during the 1952 season, when Piersall had to be hospitalized with mental issues. Lepcio often saved Piersall from being beaten up by his own teammates.[2]
On July 13, 1961, Lepcio hit a grand slam in the first inning against the Cleveland Indians, which would turn out to be the deciding factor in the Twins' 9 to 6 victory.[3] After Lepcio retired, following the 1961 season, he became a vice president of sales with St Johnsbury Trucking Co Inc, a New England trucking company. He also remained active in baseball and often chaired Red Sox events.[4] He died on December 11, 2019, in Dedham, Massachusetts.[5]
References
edit- ^ a b "Ted Lepcio Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2019. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
- ^ Piersall, Jimmy; Hirshberg, Al (1999). Fear strikes out: the Jim Piersall story. Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press. p. 137. ISBN 0-8032-8761-5. Retrieved August 31, 2011.
- ^ "Ted Lepcio's Grand Slam Sparks Twins' 9–6 Win". Hartford Courant. Associated Press. July 14, 1961.
- ^ Thomas, Jack (April 14, 2005). "A player in his day". Boston Globe. Retrieved August 31, 2011.
- ^ "Ted Lepcio Baseball Stats by Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
External links
edit- Career statistics from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- Ted Lepcio at SABR (Baseball BioProject)
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