Prior to the start of last night's game between the Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox, Joe Castiglione announced the death of former MLB player and manager Sam Mele at the age of 95. He passed away on May 1st.
A native of New York City, Mele played baseball and basketball at NYU and did stint in the U.S. Marine Corps before signing with the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent in 1946 and would make the team's opening day roster in 1947. In his rookie season, Mele hit a career high .302 with 12 HR and 73 RBI.
Mele suffered the sophomore jinx in 1948 when injuries limited him to 66 games with his average falling nearly 70 points to .233. During the 1949 season, Mele was traded to the Washington Senators. His best season came while in a Senators uniform when he led the AL in doubles and drove in a career high 94 runs in 1951.
But the Senators would trade Mele to the Chicago White Sox early in the 1952 season. After two decent seasons on Chicago's South Side, Mele would become a member of the newly minted Baltimore Orioles in 1954. But midway through that season he was traded back to the Red Sox. Mele was traded again midway through the 1955 season to the Cincinnati Redlegs before finishing his playing career with the Cleveland Indians in 1956.
In 1957, Mele would return to D.C. becoming a scout for the Senators. Two years later, he would join the Senators coaching staff. The Senators moved north to the Twin Cities in 1961 where midway through their inaugural season in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, Mele succeeded Cookie Lavagetto as the team's manager. Under Mele, the Twins became contenders finishing second and third in AL in 1962 and 1963, respectively. After falling under .500 in 1964, the Twins rebounded in 1965 winning 102 games and with it the American League pennant. It was the first time the Twins made the Fall Classic and the first the franchise had won the AL pennant in 32 years. After a taking 2-0 lead, the Twins would fall to the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games.
The Twins would have another second place finish in the AL in 1966, but Mele was dismissed by the club a third of the way through the 1967 season. Mele promptly joined the Red Sox for a third time, this time as a scout and instructor. No doubt Mele must have been more satisfied than anyone when the Red Sox edged the Twins to win the AL pennant on the season's final day to cap off their Impossible Dream season. Mele would remain with the Red Sox organization for more than a quarter century before retiring in 1994.
It is amazing to me that Mele never got another chance to manage in the big leagues (or at any level) given his success with the Twins. It isn't every manager who gets to the World Series.
Of course, it's possible Mele tired of the road preferring to stay at his home in Quincy, Massachusetts.
Whatever the case, I don't think Mele got the credit he deserved in turning a moribund franchise into contenders and eventually a pennant winner for the first time in more than a generation.
On a personal note, I had a colleague who knew Mele's family and spoke of him warmly. I am sure she is far from alone in that sentiment. R.I.P.
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