Tony Balsamo’s major league career was brief. He only pitched 18 games for the Chicago Cubs in 1962, going 0-1 with a 6.44 ERA.
Yet in a short amount of time, Balsamo played for and against some of the most famous players of his era.
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Balsamo, who died March 12 at age 89, had four teammates — and one coach — who would one day be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
The 1962 Cubs were a bad team. They lost 103 games, a franchise record at the time. They cycled through three managers and finished second-to-last in the National League. Yet Balsamo shared a locker room with Billy Williams, Ron Santo, Lou Brock, and Ernie Banks.
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One of Balsamo’s coaches was Buck O’Neil, the first Black coach in Major League Baseball, who was posthumously inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2022.
“Buck was a real gentleman,” Balsamo said in a 2012 interview. “Never had any kind of favoritism, and really knew baseball. … It didn’t matter if you were a rookie or a star. He just had an insight. He was really human. Always had a smile on his face. Very positive attitude. To me, he was a little older Ernie Banks. Loved the game of baseball, loved people — a true gentleman.”
A Brooklyn native, Balsamo cut his chops on the same youth fields as fellow Brooklynites Sandy Koufax and Joe Torre. He stayed in New York for college, pitching on the baseball team at Fordham University. He signed as a free agent with the Cubs in 1959.
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A right-handed pitcher, Balsamo spent three seasons in the minors before his debut arrived in April 1962.
Balsamo’s career began with a pair of scoreless relief outings against the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates. But he allowed three runs in one inning against Pittsburgh, facing the Pirates for the second time in as many days at Wrigley Field, on April 17, 1962.
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That began a rocky stretch in which many of the era’s best hitters teed off against Balsamo. He allowed hits to Roberto Clemente, Orlando Cepeda, Willie Mays (a home run, the only homer Balsamo allowed in his career), Frank Robinson, Joe Torre, and Bill Mazeroski. He walked Eddie Matthews and Hank Aaron — in the same inning. All would be enshrined with plaques in Cooperstown one day.
Balsamo’s only career decision was a loss on May 15, 1962, against the New York Mets. He allowed a run in the 13th inning. Barely two months after his career began, Balsmo’s career ended when he was tagged for four runs while recording only one out in a 15-3 loss to the Cardinals on June 26, 1962.
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After retiring as a player at 25, Balsamo returned to Long Island, where he operated Donato’s Restaurant in Rockville Center. He also donated his time to charity events after retiring from the restaurant.
Balsamo is survived by two sons, Donato and Michael, and his grandson Anthony. He was preceded in death by his wife, Linda.
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