*Italian Heritage Doubtful/Unlikely
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Card: 1965 Topps #159
Position: RHP
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Player Bio:
"(Johnny) Bench was 18 and playing in Buffalo. A pair of older pitchers, Dom Zanni and Jim Duffalo, pulled him aside. They noticed that for all his natural talent, he was flailing at breaking pitches. The next afternoon they met at the park. 'They threw me curveball after curveball after curveball,' Bench recalls. 'Two games later I hit two home runs off curveballs.' " - from Sports Illustrated, July 15, 2018 about Jim's assistance to a young Johnny Bench
James Francis Duffalo (born November 25, 1935 in Helvetia, PA) is a former American professional baseball player. A right-handed relief pitcher, Jim played all or part of five seasons (1961–65) in Major League Baseball, and 18 years in organized baseball as a whole. He was a member of the 1962 National League champion San Francisco Giants, but did not appear in the 1962 World Series.
Jim was pitching coach for the Phoenix Giants in 1980 and Shreveport Captains in 1981. His 1965 card (above) was his final MLB topps card.
(excerpted from Baseball Almanac, BR Bullpen & Wikipedia)
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*Jim is also part of the Italian Ancestry Unsure/Doubtful Tour – Next Page
Jim is part of the New York/SF Giants Players Tour – Go To the Next Stop
See all Duffalo’s baseball cards at TCDB
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From site contributor Daniel Serafini:
“On 01/03/2022, I sent Jim Duffalo a card asking for autograph and about his Italian heritage. On 01/12/2022, I received the signed card back. He also said: “Daniel: Sorry but I’m not Italian. I’m Slovak.”
On this basis, the Doubtful/Unsure icon has been added to this page – The baseballamore editor
I remember watching Jim Duffalo pitch for the Springfield Mass Giants in 59 and 60.
They were outstanding teams with Juan Marichal, Felipe and Matty Alou, Jose Pagan, Manny Mota, Ramon Conde etc.
Jim was an excellent pitcher and I watched while the opposing hurler threw Jim fast ball after fast ball, and Jim deposited the final one over the wall in deep left center field!
This was no small feat for at least a couple of reasons;
Jim was not known, I believe, as much of a hitter, although he was taking some nice cuts in this at bat!
Pynchon park was not a long ball hitters ball park, 340 down the line in left, 320 down the line in right, 400 to center and. 20+ foot wall!
I wonder if Jim remembers that home run? Lol