Gus Mancuso

August Rodney Mancuso (December 5, 1905 – October 26, 1984), nicknamed "Blackie", was an American professional baseball player, coach, scout and radio sports commentator.

He eventually caught the attention of the President of the Houston Buffaloes of the Texas League, and began his professional baseball career with them in 1925.

In 1927, he hit for a .372 batting average for the Syracuse Stars in the International League.

He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball with the St. Louis Cardinals (1928, 1930–32, 1941–42), New York Giants (1933–38, 1942–44), Chicago Cubs (1939), Brooklyn Dodgers (1940) and Philadelphia Phillies (1945).

Mancuso was known for his capable handling of pitching staffs and for his on-field leadership abilities.

He was a member of five National League pennant-winning teams, and played as the catcher for five pitchers who were eventually inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

He made his Major League debut with the St. Louis Cardinals at the age of 22 on April 30, 1928, and stayed with them until July, when he was sent to the Minneapolis Millers in the American Association.

He spent 1929 with St. Louis's American Association farm club, the Rochester Red Wings and with Houston.

Mancuso was regarded as one of the top defensive catchers of the 1930s.

Mancuso was born in Galveston, Texas to the son of a Sicilian immigrant and the daughter of German immigrants.

His father died in his forties and his mother continued to support the family by working as a midwife.

Mancuso first began to play baseball as a nine-year-old.

After graduating from high school, he went to work as a teller at a bank although, he was hired more for his talent as a baseball player than as a teller, playing as a member of the bank's baseball team.

The Cardinals returned Mancuso to the major leagues in 1930, primarily because of a contract dispute with Branch Rickey that made Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis void Mancuso's minor league contract.

He served as a reserve catcher to Jimmie Wilson who Mancuso considered one of the best catchers of the era.

Although they competed for the same job, the veteran Wilson provided Mancuso with valuable help in learning the intricacies of catching in the major leagues.

Mancuso became a student of the game, learning to study the daily box scores to learn the strengths and weaknesses of opposing teams.

On September 12, Wilson sprained his ankle and would not play for the rest of the season.

Mancuso rose to the occasion, ending the season with a .366 batting average during a hitters' year when the league average was above .300 for the first and only time.

The Cardinals won the National League pennant but, eventually lost to Connie Mack's Philadelphia Athletics in the 1930 World Series.

In 1931 Mancuso was once again the reserve catcher to Wilson, leading the league with a 54.3% caught stealing percentage as the Cardinals won their second consecutive National League pennant.

The 1931 World Series was a rematch with the Athletics as the Cardinals were victorious in a seven-game series.

Mancuso only had one plate appearance during the series as a late-inning pinch hitter.

During the 1932 season, Wilson turned 32 years old and shared the catching duties with Mancuso who caught 82 games to Wilson's 75 and hit for a .284 average.

Terry credited Mancuso as a major factor in moving the Giants from sixth place in 1932 to World Series champions in 1933.

In an Associated Press poll of sportswriters, Mancuso finished second to the Yankees' Bill Dickey as the majors league's all-star catcher based on his ability to handle pitchers so skillfully.

Mancuso was traded to the New York Giants before the 1933 season where new manager Bill Terry was rebuilding the team after the resignation of longtime manager John McGraw.

Terry wanted to build his team around speed, defense and pitching.

He replaced the slow-footed Shanty Hogan and installed the agile Mancuso as the Giants' starting catcher.

Terry allowed Mancuso to be in charge of the Giants' pitching staff that included; Carl Hubbell's sharp-breaking screwball, Hal Schumacher's diving sinker ball, Freddie Fitzsimmons' knuckleball and Roy Parmelee who threw a variety of different pitches.

Under Mancuso's guidance, the Giants' pitching staff led the National League in earned run average as the team won their first pennant in nine years.

Although Mancuso led National League catchers in errors and passed balls, he also led in games played, baserunners caught stealing, putouts and, finished second in assists and in range factor.

The Giants went on to defeat the Washington Senators in the 1933 World Series.

Mancuso ranked sixth in voting for the 1933 National League Most Valuable Player Award.

In 1934, the Giants finished in second place, two games behind the eventual world champion St. Louis Cardinals, as Mancuso had an off-year with his batting average dropping almost twenty points along with 10 fewer runs batted in.

In 1935 Mancuso improved to hit for a .298 batting average with five home runs, and 56 runs batted in.

He also earned a spot as a reserve for the National League team in the 1935 All-Star Game.

He had his best season in 1936, hitting for a .301 batting average with career-highs of nine home runs and 63 runs batted in as the Giants once again claimed the National League pennant.

He led the league's catchers in putouts, baserunners caught stealing, finished second in assists and, once again guided the Giants' pitching staff to the lowest earned run average in the league.

The Giants would go down in defeat against the powerful New York Yankees in the 1936 World Series.