Ted Lepcio

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: (1929-07-28)July 28, 1929
Utica, New York
Died: December 11, 2019(2019-12-11) (aged 90)
Dedham, Massachusetts
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 runs69
RBI251
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

  1. "Ted Lepcio Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2019. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
  2. 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.
  3. "Ted Lepcio's Grand Slam Sparks Twins' 9–6 Win". Hartford Courant. Associated Press. July 14, 1961.
  4. Thomas, Jack (April 14, 2005). "A player in his day". Boston Globe. Retrieved August 31, 2011.
  5. "Ted Lepcio Baseball Stats by Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved December 22, 2019.


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