Lou Polli
American baseball player (1901-2000)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Louis Americo Polli (July 9, 1901 – December 19, 2000), nicknamed "Crip", was an Italian-born professional baseball relief pitcher.
| Lou Polli | |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | |
| Born: July 9, 1901 Baveno, Italy | |
| Died: December 19, 2000 (aged 99) Berlin, Vermont, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 18, 1932, for the St. Louis Browns | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 7, 1944, for the New York Giants | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 0–2 |
| Earned run average | 4.68 |
| Strikeouts | 11 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
Polli first played in the majors with the St. Louis Browns in 1932, pitching 62⁄3 innings with a 5.40 earned run average.
Polli would not play again in the major-leagues until 1944, a period of 12 seasons, when he pitched 352⁄3 innings for the New York Giants, with a 4.54 earned run average. Polli's MLB career ERA was 4.68.
One of the greatest pitchers in minor-league history, the lanky righthander was the first major league player born in Italy, being one of only nine Italian-born players in MLB as of 2025. Polli compiled a career minor league lifetime mark of 236–226 through 22 seasons.[1][2]
At the time of his death in 2000, aged 99, Polli was the oldest living former MLB player.[1]