John Orsino
John Joseph Orsino (April 22, 1938 – November 1, 2016) was a Major League Baseball catcher. He was signed by the New York Giants as an amateur free agent before the 1957 season, and played for the San Francisco Giants (1961–1962), Baltimore Orioles (1963–1965), and Washington Senators (1966–1967).
| John Orsino | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Catcher | |||
| Born: April 22, 1938 Teaneck, New Jersey | |||
| Died: November 1, 2016 (aged 78) Sunny Isles Beach, Florida | |||
| |||
| MLB debut | |||
| July 14, 1961, for the San Francisco Giants | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| September 10, 1967, for the Washington Senators | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .249 | ||
| Home runs | 40 | ||
| Runs batted in | 123 | ||
| Teams | |||
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Born in Teaneck, New Jersey, Orsino grew up in nearby Fort Lee, where he attended Fort Lee High School.[1]
Playing career
Orsino made his major league debut on July 14, 1961 against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Candlestick Park. He was the starting catcher and went 0-for-3 with 3 putouts, 2 assists, 1 error, and 1 passed ball. The Giants lost, 6-4. The next day was a lot better; he was in the starting lineup again and went 1-for-3 with a walk, a run batted in, a run scored, and no errors in the field as the Giants crushed the Pirates 8-3.
His best season was 1963, when he had career highs in games played (116), hits (103), at bats (379), home runs (19), runs batted in (56), runs scored (53), and on-base percentage (.349). The Orioles had a good year, winning 86 games and losing 76.
One of the most famous games he was ever involved in took place at Memorial Stadium on September 12, 1964. He was the Orioles starting catcher in a rare battle of complete game one-hitters between O's left-hander Frank Bertaina and Kansas City Athletics southpaw Bob Meyer. Orsino doubled to lead off the bottom of the 8th of the 0-0 game, and teammate Bob Saverine came in to pinch run for him. Saverine advanced to third on a Bertaina sacrifice bunt, and then scored when Jackie Brandt hit a sacrifice fly.
Career totals for 332 games include 252 hits, 40 home runs, 123 runs batted in, 114 runs scored, a .249 batting average, and a slugging percentage of .420.
Post-retirement
Orsino was the baseball coach at Fairleigh Dickinson University from 1970 to 1976 and again in 1980.[2] He went on to coach a university men's golf team in 2004.[3] John had two children from his first marriage. Jeryl Orsino and John (Jay) Orsino. Jeryl is a fitness professional and Jay is a golf professional. John has three grandchildren. Charlie, Wyatt and Oliver Orsino.
Orsino died on November 1, 2016 in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida at age 78.
Highlights
- Hit a combined .324 (22-for-68) against All-Star pitchers Jim Bouton, Harvey Haddix, Tommy John, Gary Peters and Stan Williams
- Hit a combined .323 (10-for-31) against Hall of Fame pitchers Jim Bunning and Whitey Ford
References
- Skelton, David E. "John Orsino: A Profile", The Pecan Park Eagle, September 13, 2017. Accessed September 15, 2018. "John Joseph Orsino was born on April 22, 1938, the only child of John and Helen (Higgins) Orsino, in Teaneck, a crowded township 20 miles north of Newark in Bergen County, New Jersey.... Orsino attended Fort Lee (New Jersey) High School.... He retired after the season and returned to his Fort Lee, New Jersey, home."
- "Former Knights Baseball Coach John Orsino Passes Away," Fairleigh Dickinson University Athletics, Monday, November 7, 2016.
- FauSports
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet