Tony Balsamo
Anthony Alred Balsamo is a former Major League Baseball player. He was born November 21, 1937 in Brooklyn, New York. He went to Fordham University, where he pitched on the baseball team.
In 1959 he got his big break; the Chicago Cubs signed him as a free agent. He was called up by the Cubs on April 14, 1962. He pitched in 29.1 innings and recorded a 0-1 record with a 6.44 ERA. He only played in one big league season.
One of his mentors that season was Buck O'Neil, a long time player and coach in the Negro Leagues who was a rookie of his own sorts, breaking the color barrier as a coach in the Major Leagues.
In a 2010 interview with sportswriter Marino Amoruso, he spoke about the one game he played in the Polo grounds against the New York Mets.
