Pete Coscarart

Peter Joseph Coscarart

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11½", Weight 175 lb.
• School San Diego State Teachers College
• High School Escondido High School
• Debut April 26, 1938
• Final Game May 17, 1946
• Born June 16, 1913 in Escondido, CA USA
• Died July 24, 2002 in Escondido, CA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Pete Coscarart played eight seasons in the major leagues, all with the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Pittsburgh Pirates. A regular in 1939 and 1940 with the Dodgers, he continued as a regular with the Pirates from 1942 to 1945. Pete went to the All-Star Game in 1940, playing a career high 143 games with 24 doubles and 58 RBI. Once Billy Herman came into the fold, he was moved and enjoyed his best season in 1945. Pete hit .264, one year after scoring a personal best 89 runs.

The book The Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1940's states that Coscarart lost his major league status because he was outspoken for a players' union. This was true, as he was banished to the minors by the Pirates while trying to rally support for a player's strike. The first major leaguer out of San Diego State University, he finished his career with the Pacific Coast League iteration of the San Diego Padres from 1946 to 1949. In 1996, he and many other former players (including Dolph Camilli and Frank Crosetti) sued for the right to be included in the pension plan, which did not cover players before 1947. Though Pete's efforts were unsuccessful for himself, other players from his time in the game would later receive benefits thanks in no small part to his efforts.

Pete, who claimed his father was Basque, was the brother of big leaguer Joe Coscarart and minor league infielder Steve Coscarart. The brothers attended Escondido High School, where the ball field is now named after Pete. After baseball, he worked in real estate for thirty years, dying of an aneurysm at 89.

Sources: Pete Coscarart and Pete Coscarart obituary

Notable Achievements

• NL All-Star (1940)