Tony Lazzeri (December 6, 1903 in San Francisco, California- August 6, 1946 in San Francisco, California), better known as Tony Lazzeri, was a Major League Baseball player during the 1920s and 1930s, predominantly with the New York Yankees. He was a member of the original American League All-Star team in 1933. Lazzeri, a second baseman, entered the major leagues in 1926 as a member of the New York Yankees. In his rookie season he posted a .275 batting average with 18 home runs and 114 RBI, impressive numbers which would become his annual trend. As a member of the Yankees until 1937, he averaged 79 runs, 14 home runs, 96 RBI and 12 stolen bases including seven seasons with over 100 RBI and five seasons batting .300 or higher (including a high of .354 in 1929). During this time the Yankees won six American League pennants (1926, 1927, 1928, 1932, 1936 and 1937) and five World Series championships (1927, 1928, 1932, 1936 and 1937).
Undesired by the Yankees after the 1937 season, Lazzeri signed with the Chicago Cubs in 1938 and produced in a modest number of at-bats. The Cubs won the National League championship and Lazzeri got to face his old team in the World Series. Any hopes of sweet payback, however, were squashed as the Yankees swept the series.
After brief stints with the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants in 1939, Lazzeri retired. Although his offensive production was overshadowed by the historic accomplishments of teammates Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Joe DiMaggio, Lazzeri is still considered one of the top hitting second basemen of his era. He finished his career with a .292 batting average, 986 runs, 178 home runs, 1191 RBI and 148 stolen bases.
Lazzeri holds the American League record for most RBI in a game with 11, set May 24, 1936. That same day he became the first major league player to hit two grand slams in one game.
Tony Lazzeri was selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991.
