John Boccabella
From BR Bullpen
John Dominic Boccabella
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 1", Weight 200 lb.
- School Santa Clara University
- Debut September 2, 1963
- Final Game September 19, 1974
- Born June 29, 1941 in San Francisco, CA USA
[edit] Biographical Information
John Boccabella played twelve years in the major leagues, getting over 210 at-bats only once, close to the end of his career when he had over 400 at-bats as the starting catcher for the Montreal Expos in 1973. He was signed as a free agent by the Chicago Cubs in 1963 and by early September of the same year he made his major league debut.
A backup OF/1B and sometimes catcher for the Cubs in the late 1960s, he was selected in the expansion draft by the Montreal Expos on October 14, 1968. Expos manager Gene Mauch eventually turned him into a full-time catcher; Boccabella played in a career-high 118 games in 1973. Finishing up with the San Francisco Giants in 1974, he hit just .219 for his career.
The public address announcer at Montreal's Jarry Park loved to play with Boccabella's name. He would intone in his French accent "Jean BOCK-(pause)-a-BELLLLLL-a" much to the delight of the Expos faithful.
Boccabella became, on July 6, 1973, the second of only three catchers ever to homer twice in one inning (through June 2007). The others were Andy Seminick in 1949 and Bengie Molina in 2007.
