Bob Coluccio

[Dave Umhoefer]

Robert Pasquali Coluccio was drafted as a teenager by his home state Seattle Pilots in 1969, debuting four years later for the Brewers in 1973. The Centralia, WA native spent less than three full seasons in Milwaukee before stints with the White Sox and Cardinals, but won the hearts of many Brewers fans, especially in the Italian-American community. With a nod to Coluccio’s heritage, he was dubbed “the Macaroni Pony” by Brewers broadcaster Merle Harmon.

Coluccio’s rookie season, at age 21, was his best in The Show. His break came when he was invited to Major League spring training after outfield Dave May was injured. He made the big-league club, and pushed into a starting role when Gorman Thomas slumped, Coluccio slashed .224/.311/.411. His eight triples ranked 5th in the American League, and he knocked 15 homers in 124 games. Fans loved his aggressive outfield play and free-swinging style.

"It's a great town, they had a large Italian population and they embraced me," Coluccio told The Chronicle newspaper in his hometown. "They would sell the most beer out of any stadium with the least amount of violence. The fans in right field would bring me jugs of wine."

The solid debut earned him a $5,000 raise, to $23,000, and an off-season job with our Schlitz beer distributorship in Arizona arranged by Brewers president Bud Selig.

Coluccio career highlights include a walk-off homer in 1974 to end a 16-inning game and give the Brewers a 5-4 win over Cleveland against former Brewers closer Ken Sanders. He hit an inside-the-park home run in Yankee Stadium. He got to play with Hank Aaron.

The Brewers traded Coluccio to the White Sox for Bill Sharp on May 8, 1975. He saw little action there and in St. Louis. He was out of baseball by 1978 after a five-year career, returning to the western US and making a living in real estate.

Over his 5-year major-league career that ended in St. Louis, Coluccio's stat line was .220/.305/.353.

View full player

[Brock Beauchamp]

Thanks for posting this, @Dave Umhoefer!