John Francis D’Acquisto was born on December 24, 1951, in San Diego, the second child of Fred and Frances D’Acquisto. Fred D’Acquisto Sr. was a local celebrity in the San Diego area; for 51 years he worked for the legendary Anthony’s Fish Grotto Restaurant right in the heart of the downtown area.

D'Acquisto was drafted #1 by the Giants due to his hard throwing, exceeding 100mph in a time when that was rare. John pitched for six teams in his ten-year career that spanned from 1973 to 1982, including the Giants, Cardinals, Padres, Expos, Angels and A's. He is the cousin of former major league pitcher Lou Marone.

John played 10 major league seasons, and while he never made an All-Star Game or appeared in the postseason, he is still remembered today as being one of the first men to throw 100 miles per hour. In the book "The Neyer/James Guide to Pitchers", written by SABR members Rob Neyer and Bill James, is a chapter entitled “The Mighty Fastball”, which contains a passage written by James. “The fastest known radar reading from that era (the seventies), other than Nolan Ryan, was for John D’Acquisto.”

John's career was marred by arm, hip and back injuries, which ran in the family, and which also disqualified him from joining the US Army. Since retiring he has had a double hip replacement.

In 2004, he graduated from Rochville University with a Ph.D. in Exercise Science and Physiology with a focus on biomechanics and he’s been the director at Sorganics, a company that develops organic fertilizers and other compounds designed to replace cancer-causing chemical products currently on the market. He is currently writing a book about his life.

In his Letters from Home Plate response, John lists Sandy Koufax as his favorite player growing up, Richie Zisk and Enos Cabell as the toughest hitters he ever faced, and Dodger Stadium as his favorite park to play in. His favorite teammate was Eric Rasmussen.

His baseball cards are quite popular - perhaps its the Magnum PI resemblance?

(excerpted from SABR, BR Bullpen & Wikipedia)