More: Whatever happened to Antonelli Tire Company? had 12 shops in Monroe County as well as stores in places like Elmira, Binghamton and Schenectady. Antonelli said, "You could start a business then with $8,750."Īt its peak, Johnny Antonelli Tire Co. The payout for members of the 1954 Giants was a whopping $8,750, and, Mr. "I started the business with my World Series money," Mr. It eventually expanded to 28 locations across New York state. Antonelli opened a tire business in 1955 at the corner of Keeler Street and North Clinton Avenue, the exclusive Firestone dealer in the area. He returned to the mound on one day's rest in Game 4, shutting down an Indians' rally in the eighth inning and closing out the game and the World Series championship with a scoreless ninth. He started Game 2 of the 1954 World Series, allowing just one run in a complete-game victory against the Cleveland Indians. He finished the season with a won-loss record of 21-7 and a league-leading 2.30 ERA. Backed by sluggers Willie Mays and Monte Irvin, the young left-hander dominated opposing hitters and earned a spot on the National League All-Star team. It was a blockbuster trade to the New York Giants in 1954 that helped propel him to the national spotlight. He rejoined the club in 1953, which by then had moved to Milwaukee. Antonelli pitched sparingly in three seasons with the Braves before joining the Army after the 1950 season, serving for two years. "His parents did a wonderful job raising him with fundamental values that would guide him throughout his life." "He handled it so adroitly as a young man, with such class," Ciaccio said. More: All-Star facts: 6 Rochester-area guys made it to baseball's big game The grace and humility he showed in that experience was the result of his working-class background, Ciaccio said. "Warren Spahn, the Braves ace, wouldn't talk to him," Ciaccio recalled. "So Johnny had to endure - which he did quietly - that slight for the remaining time on the Braves." He pitched sparingly that first season, an 18-year-old kid surrounded by veteran players, many of whom were earning salaries less than the big bonus check he'd just received. He is one of a handful of big league players who never appeared in a minor league game. The left-hander became the subject of a bidding war among major league teams after he graduated in 1948. He received a sizable bonus - $52,000 - for signing with the Boston Braves, and rules at the time mandated that "bonus babies" spend two full seasons in the big leagues. His blazing fastball and looping curveball drew the attention of baseball scouts from across the country to watch him pitch. It was on the baseball diamond where he shone brightest. Sports were at the center of daily life for kids there, and by the time he reached Jefferson High School he was a standout in football, basketball and baseball. He grew up on the city's west side in a neighborhood full of immigrants, like his father. John August Antonelli was born in Rochester on April 12, 1930. More: Roth: Rochester's Johnny Antonelli was an All-Star in baseball and in life
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