Nick Testa
Nick Testa | |
---|---|
Catcher | |
Born: New York City, New York, U.S. | June 29, 1928|
Died: November 16, 2018 Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, U.S. | (aged 90)|
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
Professional debut | |
MLB: April 23, 1958, for the San Francisco Giants | |
NPB: April 8, 1962, for the Damai Orions | |
Last appearance | |
MLB: April 23, 1958, for the San Francisco Giants | |
NPB: September 20, 1962, for the Damai Orions | |
MLB statistics | |
Games played | 1 |
At bats | 0 |
hits | 0 |
NPB statistics | |
Batting average | .136 |
Home runs | 0 |
Runs batted in | 5 |
Teams | |
Nicholas Testa (June 29, 1928 – November 16, 2018) was an American professional baseball catcher and coach. He played briefly in both Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball.
Biography
[edit]Testa was born in New York City to Italian immigrants, and was raised in the Bronx.[1] He began his professional career in 1946 at the age of 17 with the Newburgh Hummingbirds. He threw and batted right-handed, stood 5 feet 8 inches (1.73 m) tall and weighed 180 pounds (82 kg).
Testa had one of the briefest major league careers ever. He played just one inning of one game for the San Francisco Giants in 1958, never coming to bat in the major leagues. In his one chance on defense, he committed an error.[2] Later that season, Testa was named the team's bullpen coach.[3]
Testa played for several more seasons in the minor leagues, eventually making his way to Japan in 1962. That year, he played in 57 games for the Daimai Orions, batting .136 with five RBI.[4] Testa later served as a coach for the St. Lucie Legends in the Senior Professional Baseball Association during their lone year of existence in 1989. He also coached baseball at Lehman College.[1]
After retiring from Lehman, Testa joined the New York Yankees as their batting practice coach, serving on five World Championship Teams. Testa died in 2018 at his home in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, at the age of 90.[1]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c Obituary. USobit.com. Retrieved on November 22, 2018.
- ^ "Nick Testa". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
- ^ "Giants All-Time coaches". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on June 15, 2007. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
- ^ Japanese batting stats
External links
[edit]- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
- 1928 births
- 2018 deaths
- American expatriate baseball players in Japan
- American military personnel of the Korean War
- American people of Italian descent
- Baseball players from the Bronx
- Daimai Orions players
- Dallas Eagles players
- Dallas Rangers players
- Erie Sailors players
- Florida Gators baseball players
- Idaho Falls Russets players
- Jacksonville Tars players
- Johnstown Johnnies players
- Little Rock Travelers players
- Macon Peaches players
- Major League Baseball bullpen coaches
- Major League Baseball catchers
- Newburgh Hummingbirds players
- Omaha Cardinals players
- Reno Silver Sox players
- San Francisco Giants coaches
- San Francisco Giants players
- Seaford Eagles players
- Sioux City Soos players
- Trenton Giants players
- Walden Hummingbirds players
- Wilkes-Barre Barons (baseball) players
- Yakima Bears players
- New York Yankees coaches
- Burials at Saint Raymond's Cemetery (Bronx)
- Lehman Lightning baseball coaches
- American baseball catcher stubs