Paul Pettit facts for kids

Paul Pettit was an American baseball player. He was a pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1951 and 1953. Paul was born on November 29, 1931, and passed away on September 24, 2020.

Early Life and Baseball Talent

Paul Pettit grew up in Los Angeles, California. He went to Narbonne High School in Harbor City. Paul was an amazing pitcher even when he was young. People called him the "Wizard of Whiff."

While in high school and playing for a semi-pro team, he pitched six no-hitter games. Three of those were in a row! He struck out 945 batters in 549 innings. In one high school game that lasted 12 innings, he struck out 27 batters. That's a lot of strikeouts!

In 1949, a movie producer named Frederick Stephani wanted to make a baseball movie. He signed Paul Pettit for $85,000. After Paul graduated in 1950, the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team signed him. They bought his contract from Stephani for $15,000 more.

This made Paul Pettit the first baseball player to get $100,000 as a signing bonus. This was a new record at the time. He was known as baseball's first "bonus baby" because of this big payment. $100,000 in 1950 would be worth about equivalent to $1,216,000 in 2022 today.

Professional Baseball Career

Paul Pettit started his professional career with high hopes. He played for the New Orleans Pelicans in 1950. Everyone expected him to join the Pittsburgh Pirates the next year.

In 1951, Paul joined the Pirates. He pitched for 2.2 innings. His performance was not what people expected. This was mainly because of an arm injury he had.

In 1952, Paul played for the Hollywood Stars in the Pacific Coast League. He had a good year, winning 15 games and losing 8. He also showed he could hit, with a batting average of .320.

Paul returned to the Pirates in 1953. He pitched for 28 innings, winning 1 game and losing 2. As a hitter, he got 2 hits in 8 tries.

By 1954, his arm injury became a big problem. Paul had to stop pitching. He then played as an outfielder for the Salinas Packers. He hit very well that year, with a .324 batting average. He also hit 20 home runs and had 102 RBIs (runs batted in).

In 1955, he played in the Mexican League for the Azules de Veracruz. He continued to hit well, with a .382 batting average.

Paul returned to the Hollywood Stars in 1957. He hit .284, with 20 home runs and 102 RBIs. On September 12, 1957, he had 10 RBIs in one game! By 1958, his arm problems were so bad that he moved to playing first base. Paul Pettit retired from baseball in 1961.

Life After Baseball

Paul Pettit married Shirley Joan Jennings in January 1951. They had six children together: Paul, Mark, Tim, Michael, Stephanie, and Cindy.

While playing baseball, Paul also went to college. He earned a degree in Physical Education from Cal State Long Beach. After retiring from baseball, he started teaching and coaching high school baseball in 1962.

He also managed a minor league team, the Dubuque Royals, in 1968. After that, he went back to coaching high school baseball in Lawndale, California.

Paul Pettit passed away on September 24, 2020, at 88 years old.