Carlo Tagliaboschi

Carlo Tagliaboschi

• Bats Left, Throws Left

• Born September 24, 1926 in Nettuno Italy
• Died October 16, 1989

Biographical Information

Carlo Tagliaboschi was a star in the early days of Italian baseball.

Tagliaboschi debuted with Nettuno in 1951. In 1952, he threw a no-hitter against Firenze. He made the Italian national team at the first European Championship, in 1954. He was their first reliever, taking over for Mariano Casaldi in the 6th inning of a 6-1 win over Belgium. He worked 3 1/3 IP and allowed 2 hits, 2 walks and one unearned run while fanning seven for the first save in team annals. He went 0 for 2 at the plate. The first Euros were only two games per team and the next day, the 27-year-old appeared in the finals, again in relief. He replaced Giulio Glorioso in the bottom of the 6th of a 7-4 win over Spain. He pitched four innings, allowing 2 hits, 4 walks and one unearned run while striking out two for another save. He was 0 for 2 at the plate, but had played a big role in Italy's title; they would not win another European Championship for 21 years.

He had a 0.93 ERA to lead Italy in 1954. In the 1955 European Championship, he was excellent with 11 1/3 shutout innings (5 H, 6 BB, 6 K) in two games but did not get a decision and Italy did not get a medal. During the 1956 European Championship, he was Italy's least-effective hurler as they finished third; he gave up 3 hits, 2 walks and 3 runs (1 earned) in 2 1/3 IP while striking out 3. He was mostly an outfielder for Nettuno in 1956, going just 1-1 with a 6.62 ERA on the hill but hitting .333/.366/.590 with 3 homers and 11 runs in 11 games. He led Serie A in dingers, outhomering three entire teams.

In 1957, he was an excellent two-way threat for Nettuno. He was 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 19 1/3 IP (2 UER) while fanning 21. He allowed a .167/.257/.167 batting line while posting a .322/.385/.424 batting line of his own, with 16 runs and 7 steals (never caught) in 13 games. He only played center for Italy in the 1957 European Championship as they went on to get 3rd place. He hit .154/.312/.308 with 3 runs and 3 RBI in 4 games, while having 4 putouts and one error as their main man in center. He tied Glorioso and Enzo Masci for the most runs on the Azzurri and was second to Glorioso in RBI.

When a retired Joe DiMaggio visited Nettuno in 1957, he faced off against Tagliaboschi. Accounts of the encounter vary, saying DiMaggio watched either one or several pitches go by before taking off his jacket. He then hit homer after homer off Tagliaboschi, including one into the Mediterranean Sea allegedly (this version was told to USA Today in 1998 by a local). A 1957 Washington Post article on the match says DiMaggio homered 3 times off Tagliaboschi in ten minutes, injuring his back slightly from not having swung a bat for several years. That article does not mention any balls landing in the Mediterranean.

Giampiero Faraone became Nettuno's main CF in 1958, moving Tagliaboschi to right. The veteran slumped to .196/.315/.217 but still scored 13 runs in 12 games and was 8-for-10 in steals. He only pitched 8 innings but was excellent still (1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 6 K); Romano Lachi, Casaldi and Faraone were the team's main three pitchers. At the 1958 European Championship, he started in right for Italy, which moved up to the Silver Medal. He hit .176/.333/.176 with 4 runs in 5 games, going 5 for 6 in steals. He had one putout in his only chance in 36 1/3 innings in RF. He tied Vittorio Luzi and Luigi Cameroni for 3rd on the squad in runs and tied Cameroni for 3rd on the steals on the steal-happy team.

He hit .143/.182/.143 in 1959 and allowed 3 runs (1 earned) in 3 IP. In 1960, he batted .132/.220/.132 with 10 steals in 10 tries and 13 runs in 17 games; he also pitched regularly again (3-2, 2.06). He made his final appearance for the national team in the 1960 European Championship, when Italy again came in second. He saw very little time, going 0 for 1 with a hit-by-pitch while handling one putout in RF; he backed up Luigi Manca and Glorioso there.

Carlo continued his decline through the early years of the 1960s. He hit .200/.300/.200 with 8 runs in 9 games in '61 while going 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA. In 1962, he did not play. He was 1 for 18 in 1963, though he managed to steal three bases in three tries. He did not pitch that year. In 1964, he suddenly turned in four hitless, walkless innings, striking out three; he was 3 for 10 with a walk as well. He hit .200/.333/.320 in 1965 but pitched well (5-2, Sv, 1.87, .208/.238/.270 opponent batting line). He tied for 10th in the league in wins and was 4th in ERA, behind Luigi Consonni, Lachi and Guglielmo Zugheri. He was 4 for 12 in 1966 and 1-2 with a 4.34 ERA. After years with Nettuno, he moved to Lazio in 1967. He had a 5-7, 2.35 record with a .213/.262/.303 opponent batting line while hitting .208/.240/.292. He was his team's ace. In 1968, he hit .114/.114/.139 and was 3-6 with a save and a 2.51 ERA. He again led his team in ERA to end his career at age 42 as a still-productive player.

He won 9 titles with Nettuno (1951-1954, 1956-1957, 1963-1965). From 1956-1968, he had a 21-20, 2.51 record with two saves in 74 games. He allowed a batting line of .214/.269/.306. He batted .209/.277/.265 with 48 steals in 56 tries, 80 runs and 39 RBI in 134 games. Through 2015, he was 25th in Italian annals in ERA since 1956 (between Cipriano Ventura and Franco De Renzi), 20th in WHIP (1.14, between Stefano Manzini and Mike Pagnozzi), tied Enorbel Marquez for 40th in K:BB ratio (2.19:1), 23rd in BB/9 (2.65, between Roberto Corradini and Alberto Portogallo) and 35th in fewest hits per 9 (7.62, between Louis Colabello and Portogallo).

He was posthumously inducted into the Italian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006, part of their second class.