Bob DiPietro

From BR Bullpen

Robert Louis Paul DiPietro

Bats Right, Throws Right
Height 5' 11", Weight 185 lb.
School San Jose State University
High School Lincoln High School (San Francisco)
Debut September 23, 1951
Final Game September 30, 1951
Born September 1, 1927 in San Francisco, CA USA

[edit] Biographical Information

Bob DiPietro went to Lincoln High School (San Francisco) where he was a pitcher on the All American Boys Team in 1945. But during a stint in the United States Army, prior to his signing as an amateur free agent with the Boston Red Sox in 1947, he switched to the outfield.

DiPietro stormed out of the gate with a career year in his first professional season with the San Jose Red Sox of the class C California League. He led the league in games played with 140 and 160 base on balls. He also had 148 base hits, including 21 home runs, 24 doubles and 6 triples, in addition to 111 RBI's; he also stole 23 bases.

After hitting only .279 with the Scranton Red Sox in 1948, he didn't hit below .300 until he reached Boston in 1951. He put up seasons of .301 and .306 in Scranton in 1949 and 1951 respectively, sandwiching in a .300 year with the Birmingham Barons in 1950.

The day DiPietro made his major league debut, September 23, 1951, everything was right in the Red Sox camp. They were set to make a run for the flag, just a few games behind the Yankees and Cleveland in the race. As the game goes, DiPietro had arrived on the scene of one of the biggest collapses in Red Sox history. They lost their last nine games in a row, seven of them to the Yankees. Cleveland followed suit, losing their last four, handing the New York team the pennant.

DiPietro played in four of his team's last nine games, coming to the plate a total of eleven times, garnering one base hit, a single; he picked up one base on balls and struck out one time. The 24-year-old had the experience of a lifetime, watching as his team went through a monumental collapse to lose the title.

Bob spent 1952 between the San Antonio Missions, Birmingham Barons and the Louisville Colonels. His best showing was in Louisville, were he hit .273. He became a more valuable player though, spending time at first and second base as well as in the outfield. He would also spend time at third, becoming a true utility player. DiPietro was in Louisville all of 1953, appearing in 109 games and hitting .205.

The next six seasons (1954-59) were spent in the PCL with the San Francisco Seals and the Portland Beavers. Of these six years, his best was in 1958, when he hit .280 with 14 home runs for Portland. DiPietro would retire after the 1959 season, hitting only .230 for the Beavers. He decided it was time to hang up his spikes. Bob had spent 13 seasons in pro ball from 1947 through 1959. He appeared in 1,480 games, went to bat 4,756 times, had 1,341 base hits, including 255 doubles and 120 home runs and a minor league career .281 batting average.

His stay in the majors was brief, but he experienced the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry at its best, during a heated pennant chase and although the race did not end in his team's favor, he will always have that one hit to remember.

DiPietro now (2009) resides in Yakima, WA, where he has owned an advertising agency, worked in sales for KIMA-TV,and is past president of the Yakima Golf and Country Club.