Rugger Ardizoia, 95, was the oldest living New York Yankee

Examiner.com, July 21, 2015, 6:36 AM MST

Rinaldo "Rugger" Ardizoia, a pitcher who played in one game for the New York Yankees in 1947, passed away Sunday evening due to complications from a stroke. He was 95.

The Italian born pitcher gained notoriety in his later years as the oldest living alumni of the New York Yankees. He pitched in one game during the 1947 season against the St. Louis Browns, throwing the final two innings in a 15-5 loss. He gave up two runs, including a home run to one of his former teammates in Iwo Jima during World War II.

"The guy that hit the home run off me was one of my boyhood idols, Walter Judnich," he said to Bill Nowlin in Bridging Two Dynasties: The 1947 New York Yankees. "I more of less slid it in for him because we were so far behind anyway."

Ardizoia played the majority of his career in the Pacific Coast League with the Hollywood Stars, where he had the chance to befriend celebrities such as Desi Arnaz, Lucille Ball, and a fellow that would later become president of the United States.

“Ronald Reagan — he used to hang out with us,” Ardizoia said to the New York Times in 2015.

At the completion of his professional baseball career in 1951, he went to work selling rental linen for 30 years. Still, his passion for baseball did not dwindle, as he played on the semiprofessional level until he was 61. He continued to attend old-timers reunions well into his 90s, willing to share his stories of playing with the legendary Yankees no matter how brief it was.

Rinaldo Ardizoia — one-time big-leaguer, longtime San Franciscan

By John Shea SFGate.com
Monday, July 20, 2015 11:37 pm

Longtime San Franciscan Rinaldo “Rugger” Ardizoia, who played one game for the 1947 Yankees, died Sunday night a week after suffering a stroke. He was 95.

Mr. Ardizoia, who pitched the final two innings of a 15-5 loss to the St. Louis Browns in his only major-league appearance, spent much of his career in the Pacific Coast League, including with the Mission Reds and Oakland Oaks.

He died peacefully in his sleep, said his grandson, Chris Crawford of San Jose.

“He was always there for me, always willing to talk no matter what the topic,” said Crawford, 31. “To everyone else, he was the oldest living Yankee and had great stories about the Yankees and PCL.”

Mr. Ardizoia was born in Italy, immigrated to the United States as an infant and signed with the San Francisco-based Missions out of now-defunct Commerce High School.

After serving in the Army three years, Mr. Ardizoia joined the Yankees at 27. In his one game in the big leagues, he surrendered a two-run homer to fellow San Franciscan Wally Judnich.

In 2011, Mr. Ardizoia told The Chronicle that Yankees manager Joe McCarthy “wanted big guys who could intimidate the batters.” Mr. Ardizoia was 5-foot-11.

Mr. Ardizoia lived in the same San Francisco house for decades and was a member of the Old Timers Baseball Association of San Francisco and Friends of Marino Pieretti and attended many old-timers’ luncheons over the years.

Aside from Crawford, Mr. Ardizoia is survived by his son, Bill (Crawford’s uncle), and 1-year-old great-grandson, Luke Crawford. Services will be at Saints Peter and Paul Church on Aug. 7.