Don Zanni--1966
The back of Zanni’s 1966 card says
it all, as Topps sums up his major
league career with minor league
highlights:
Since 1951, this righthander has
pitched for fifteen different ballclubs
in the minor and major leagues.
Dom had his best year in ’52 when
he won twenty ballgames at Pauls
Valley. Last season Dom nine
ballgames at San Diego in the
Pacific Coast League before being
called up by the Cincinnati Reds
last in the campaign.
There is also a cartoon which
shows a player setting a pile of bats
on fire with the note: Dom pitched a
no-hitter in the minor leagues in
1954.
And it is true; en route to the big
leagues; Zanni dominated the Class
D Sooner State League in 1952,
when he went 20-8, 3.20 versus
teams as the Ada Herefords,
Sherman Twins and Chickasha
Chiefs. Heck, half the league didn’t
even have major league affiliations
at the time--- oh, my.
And yes, he did make it out of the
Sooner State League and along the
way to the bigs, he tossed a no-
hitter for Sioux City of the Western
League, fanning future Orioles
manager Earl Weaver for the last
out.
Yet, Zanni did compile a
respectable 9-6, 3.79 mark in 111
big league outings as he endured a
zany path across America on the
baseball plan; but unfortunately
didn’t yield any big league career
highlights that would best his minor
league triumphs for space on the
back of what would be his last
Topps card.
(11/17/09)
it all, as Topps sums up his major
league career with minor league
highlights:
Since 1951, this righthander has
pitched for fifteen different ballclubs
in the minor and major leagues.
Dom had his best year in ’52 when
he won twenty ballgames at Pauls
Valley. Last season Dom nine
ballgames at San Diego in the
Pacific Coast League before being
called up by the Cincinnati Reds
last in the campaign.
There is also a cartoon which
shows a player setting a pile of bats
on fire with the note: Dom pitched a
no-hitter in the minor leagues in
1954.
And it is true; en route to the big
leagues; Zanni dominated the Class
D Sooner State League in 1952,
when he went 20-8, 3.20 versus
teams as the Ada Herefords,
Sherman Twins and Chickasha
Chiefs. Heck, half the league didn’t
even have major league affiliations
at the time--- oh, my.
And yes, he did make it out of the
Sooner State League and along the
way to the bigs, he tossed a no-
hitter for Sioux City of the Western
League, fanning future Orioles
manager Earl Weaver for the last
out.
Yet, Zanni did compile a
respectable 9-6, 3.79 mark in 111
big league outings as he endured a
zany path across America on the
baseball plan; but unfortunately
didn’t yield any big league career
highlights that would best his minor
league triumphs for space on the
back of what would be his last
Topps card.
(11/17/09)
