Frankie Pytlak
| Frankie Pytlak | |||
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| Catcher | |||
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Born: July 30, 1908 Buffalo, New York |
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Died: May 8, 1977 (aged 68) Buffalo, New York |
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| MLB debut | |||
| April 22, 1932, for the Cleveland Indians | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| April 25, 1946, for the Boston Red Sox | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .282 | ||
| Home runs | 7 | ||
| Runs batted in | 272 | ||
| Teams | |||
Frank Anthony Pytlak (July 30, 1908 – May 8, 1977) born in Buffalo, New York was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Cleveland Indians (1932–40) and Boston Red Sox (1941 and 1945–46). He was known as a line drive hitter and an excellent defensive catcher.
Pytlak made his major league debut with the Cleveland Indians on April 22, 1932, before being sent back down to the minor leagues with the Toledo Mud Hens. In 1933 he was back with the Indians as a reserve catcher, playing behind Roy Spencer. From 1934 to 1936, Pytlak played mostly as a reserve although, he did lead Indians catchers in games caught in the 1934 season. He became the Indians starting catcher in 1937, posting a .315 batting average in 125 games.
On August 20, 1938, as part of a publicity stunt by the Come to Cleveland Committee, Pytlak, along with Indians' rookie catcher, Hank Helf, successfully caught baseballs dropped from Cleveland's 708-foot-tall (216 m) Terminal Tower by Indians' third baseman Ken Keltner. The 708-foot (216 m) drop broke the 555-foot, 30-year-old record set by Washington Senator catcher Gabby Street at the Washington Monument. The baseballs were estimated to have been traveling at 138 miles per hour when caught.
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