Danny Frisella
From The Met Wiki
Danny Frisella was a pitcher for the Mets from 1967 to 1972. He pitched in 158 games for the Mets, winning 24 and recording 22 saves. Frisella had a 3.08 earned run average in 353 innings pitched during his years in New York.
Frisella was signed by the Mets as a free agent in 1966. He reached the major leagues a year later, starting 11 games in 14 appearances. His debut came on July 27 with two innings of one-hit scoreless relief against the Dodgers. On August 11, Danny got his first major league win in the Mets' 3-2 victory over the Pirates at Shea Stadium.
After limited major league service over the next two seasons, Frisella had an 8-3 record for the Mets in 1970. He appeared in 30 games during the season and had an ERA of 3.02. In his only start of the season, Danny recorded a win in a 5-3 Mets' victory over the Cardinals at St. Louis on August 5. He also pitched two perfect innings for the win in a 6-3 Mets victory over the Cubs in 10 on September 28 at Shea.
In 1971, Danny led all Mets' pitchers with 12 saves and 53 games. He had a record of 8-5 with a 1.99 ERA as the Mets' prime righthanded reliever. On September 12, Danny was the winning pitcher in a 3-2 victory over the Phillies. In this game, he scored the winning run on a single by Mike Jorgensen in the bottom of the ninth inning. Frisella also pitched a pair of scoreless innings for the win in a 2-1 Mets triumph over the Pirates in 15 at Shea on September 25.
The 1972 season was Frisella's last as a Met. He had a 5-8 record and a 3.34 ERA in 39 games. Danny recorded 9 saves for the season, the first of which came on May 11 to preserve Tom Seaver's 100th career win.
Frisella was traded with Gary Gentry to the Atlanta Braves for George Stone and Felix Millan on November 1, 1972. Danny spent two seasons with the Braves and another one with the San Diego Padres. He split the 1976 season between the St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers before his tragic death in an auto accident in Phoenix, Arizona on January 1, 1977.
Notes
- Danny's widow, Pam Frisella, became the mayor of Foster City, California on November 5, 2005.
