Geno Petralli was a professional baseball player who played as a catcher for various teams during his career. He was born on September 25, 1959, in Sacramento, California, and attended Sacramento City College before being drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the third round of the 1978 Major League Baseball draft.
Petralli made his Major League debut with the Blue Jays in 1982 and played with the team until 1985. He then played for the Texas Rangers from 1985 to 1993, and finished his career with the Boston Red Sox in 1993.
Throughout his career, Petralli was known for his strong defensive skills as a catcher. He had a career fielding percentage of .991 and threw out 38% of attempted base stealers. He also had a reputation for being a good game-caller and for working well with pitchers.
Offensively, Petralli was not known for his power hitting. He had a career batting average of .237 and hit a total of 24 home runs in his 12-year career. However, he was a reliable contact hitter and had a career on-base percentage of .324.
One of the most memorable moments of Petralli's career came on April 26, 1987, when he caught Nolan Ryan's record-breaking 4,509th strikeout. Ryan had broken the previous record held by Walter Johnson, and Petralli was the catcher for the historic moment.
Petralli's career was not without controversy, however. In 1991, he was involved in a heated argument with Rangers manager Bobby Valentine during a game. The argument escalated to the point where Petralli threw his catcher's mask at Valentine, and the incident was widely publicized.
After retiring from baseball, Petralli worked as a coach and instructor. He also became involved in the restaurant industry, opening a sports bar in Texas.
Overall, Geno Petralli had a solid career as a catcher in Major League Baseball. He was known for his defensive skills and his ability to work well with pitchers, and he played for several teams over the course of his 12-year career. While he may not have been a power hitter, he was a reliable contact hitter and a valuable asset to his teams.
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