Al Zarilla
Allen Lee Zarilla
(Zeke)
- Bats Left, Throws Right
- Height 5' 11", Weight 180 lb.
- High School Thomas Jefferson High School (Los Angeles)
- Debut June 30, 1943
- Final Game September 26, 1953
- Born May 1, 1919 in Los Angeles, CA USA
- Died August 28, 1996 in Honolulu, HI USA
Biographical Information[edit]
Outfielder Al Zarilla had a ten-season career with the St. Louis Browns, the Boston Red Sox, and the Chicago White Sox.
He hit .299 as part of the Browns team that went to the 1944 World Series. In the games he started in the Series, he batted sixth in the lineup, behind Vern Stephens in the cleanup spot and George McQuinn in the fifth spot. He then entered the Army in November 1944 and was discharged in October 1945.
In 1948, he hit .329 for the Browns, which was fourth in the American League. He played in the All-Star Game that year. In Chicago in 1951 and 1952, he played in the White Sox outfield with Minnie Minoso.
Playing two different times for the Red Sox, he hit .325 in 1950, which was fifth in the League. He played alongside Ted Williams and Dom DiMaggio in the outfield. When he came back to the Red Sox in 1952 and 1953, he didn't hit as well, and Hoot Evers and Jim Piersall got the bulk of the playing time.
Working as a scout in 1958, he discovered Diego Segui.
Zarilla recalled that Browns teammate Johnny Berardino would do skits and soliloquies, long before before Berardino went on to become a television star.
After his playing career ended, Zarilla managed the Magic Valley Cowboys in 1956, spent a season as a Washington Senators coach (1971) and scouted for the Cincinnati Reds (-1968), Montreal Expos (1969-1970), Washington Senators/Texas Rangers (1971-1972), Philadelphia Phillies (1973-1975), and Baltimore Orioles (1984-1985). He died of cancer in 1996 at age 77.
Notable Achievements[edit]
- AL All-Star (1948)
Records Held[edit]
- Triples, inning, 2, 7/13/46 (tied) First AL Player to perform this feat.
- Tied MLB record by hitting four doubles in a game, June 8, 1950
Further Reading[edit]
- Maurice Bouchard: "Al Zarilla", in Mark Armour and Bill Nowlin, eds.: Red Sox Baseball in the Days of Ike and Elvis: The Red Sox of the 1950s, SABR, Phoenix, AZ, 2012, pp. 304-310. ISBN 978-1933599243
We're Social...for Statheads
Every Sports Reference Social Media Account
Site Last Updated:
Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction?
Subscribe to our Free Email Newsletter
Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREE
Your All-Access Ticket to the Baseball Reference Database
Do you have a sports website? Or write about sports? We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Find out more.