Ray Lamanno

Raymond Simon Lamanno was a catcher who appeared in 442 Major League Baseball games, all with the Cincinnati Reds, across the 1941 and 1942 seasons and again from 1946 through 1948. Born November 17, 1919, in Oakland, California, he stood 6 feet tall and weighed 185 pounds. His career was interrupted by service in the United States Navy during World War II, during which he was stationed in the Pacific Theater, accounting for the gap between his 1942 and 1946 major league appearances. In 1946, his first season back from the war, he was selected as a National League All-Star, appearing in that game at Fenway Park as a pinch hitter. The following season, on June 18, 1947, he was behind the plate to catch Ewell Blackwell's no-hitter. His major league career concluded after the 1948 season. He died February 9, 1994, in Berkeley, California, at age 74.