Jim Gentile

James Edward Gentile, nicknamed "Diamond Jim," is an American former professional baseball first baseman, born June 3, 1934. He played in Major League Baseball between 1957 and 1966 for the Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodgers, Baltimore Orioles, Kansas City Athletics, Houston Astros, and Cleveland Indians. He was named an All-Star in each season from 1961 through 1963, and finished third in American League Most Valuable Player voting in 1961.

Gentile was born in San Francisco, California, and attended Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory School, graduating in 1952. He was both a top pitcher and hitter on the school's baseball team. The San Francisco Examiner selected him to its first-team All-Star/All-City baseball teams in 1951 as a first baseman and in 1952 as a pitcher, and named him the top left-handed pitcher of the 1946-53 high school seasons in the San Francisco area. He was a starting pitcher in the 1952 East-West high school All-Star game in northern California.

Gentile has been inducted into Sacred Heart's Athletic Hall of Fame. The school also produced other major league players, including Frank Bertaina and Joe Cronin, the latter a future Hall of Famer and American League president.