Mike Gazella

Michael Gazella (October 13, 1895 – September 11, 1978) was an American major league baseball player who played for the New York Yankees on several championship teams in the 1920s.[1]

Mike Gazella
1923 newspaper photo of Gazella
Infielder
Born: (1895-10-13)October 13, 1895
Olyphant, Pennsylvania
Died: September 11, 1978(1978-09-11) (aged 82)
Odessa, Texas
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
July 2, 1923, for the New York Yankees
Last MLB appearance
September 30, 1928, for the New York Yankees
MLB statistics
Batting average.241
Hits85
Runs batted in32
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Born in Olyphant, Pennsylvania,[2] Gazella played football as well as baseball at Lafayette College and Mansfield University of Pennsylvania.[3] In 1923, he was signed by New York and played in eight games for the Yankees that season. Consigned to the minor leagues in 1924 and 1925, he played for teams in Minneapolis and Atlanta before rejoining New York in the 1926 season as a utility infielder, usually playing third base.

The Yankees played in the World Series every year Gazella was on the team, winning three. However, Gazella played in only the 1926 Series, in which the Yankees lost to the St. Louis Cardinals.

After retiring, Gazella managed the Ponca City Angels[4] of the Western Association and the Moline Plowboys of the Three-I League, as well as scouted for the Yankees.

Gazella died in an automobile accident in Odessa, Texas on September 11, 1978.

References
  1. Smelser, Marshall (1993). The Life That Ruth Built: A Biography. University of Nebraska Press. p. 328. ISBN 0-8032-9218-X.
  2. Kashatus, William C. (2002). Diamonds in the Coalfields: 21 Remarkable Baseball Players, Managers, and Umpires from Northeast Pennsylvania. McFarland & Company. p. 97. ISBN 0-7864-1176-7.
  3. Beverage, Richard E. (2005). The Hollywood Stars. Arcadia Publishing. p. 30. ISBN 0-7385-3056-5.
  4. Cleve, Craig Allen (2004). Hardball on the Home Front: Major League Replacement Players of World War II. McFarland & Company. p. 39. ISBN 0-7864-1897-4.
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