Erv Palica

Ervin Martin Palica
born Ervin Martin Pavliecivich

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1½", Weight 180 lb.
• High School Narbonne High School
• Debut April 21, 1945
• Final Game September 24, 1956
• Born February 9, 1928 in Lomita, CA USA
• Died May 29, 1982 in Huntington Beach, CA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Erv Palica pitched nine years in the majors, mostly with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Ironically, he was in the majors before age 20 and out before age 30. His first two games, at age 17 at the start of the 1945 season, were as a pinch-runner, when he was the youngest player in the National League; the Dodgers were still hesitating about whether to turn him into a pitcher or a shortstop at that point, and when he was farmed out to the Mobile Bears, it was originally as an infielder; he then moved to the Newport News Dodgers of the Piedmont League where he was a full-time pitcher. He did not pitch his first major league game until 1947. His best year was 1950, when he went 13-8. He pitched 2 innings in Game 5 of the 1949 World Series, giving up no runs. He had been signed to the Brooklyn organization by scout Tom Downey.

Palica missed the 1952 season and most of 1953 due to military service at the time of the Korean War.

After pitching for the Baltimore Orioles in 1956, he spent the final seven years of his career in the minors, struggling unsuccessfully to get back to the majors before retiring at age 35. He died of a heart attack at age 54 while working as a longshoreman.

His brother Alex Palica was a minor league pitcher.

Notable Achievements

• 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 1 (1950)

Related Sites

• Erv Palica at the SABR Bio Project