"Ten-thirty? I'm not even done throwing-up (from the nights partying) at that hour." - Catcher Jim Pagliaroni in Ball Four (Jim Bouton, 1970)

James Vincent "Pag" Pagliaroni (December 8, 1937 – April 3, 2010) was an American professional baseball player. He played as a catcher from 1955 to 1969 for the Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, Oakland Athletics and the Seattle Pilots.

Jim was born in Dearborn, Michigan, and grew up in Long Beach, California. He was the only child of Giovanni V. “Jack” and Mary T. (Frederick) Pagliaroni. Giovanni traced his family roots to Fossaesia, Italy, a small city just inland of the Adriatic Sea about 200 miles east of Rome. Born in September 1897, Giovanni boarded the German ocean liner Kӧnig Albert in Naples before the outbreak of the Great War and arrived in New York City on May 14, 1914.

Pagliaroni is the third-youngest catcher in American League history, after Harry Hanson (who played only one major league game) and Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx. Possessing Hollywood-good looks and a keen sense of humor, Jim Pagliaroni was a beloved teammate and fan favorite who knew how to work a room.

The Sporting News wrote of Jim: “Pag is a 6-4 stack of happiness … [who] seems to have been born with a gift of laughter. He refuses to take either himself or baseball seriously … [and his] wit make[s] him the bright spot of any club he happens to be with."

Pag was also a player representative for the Pirates. In 1967-68 his advocacy for players’ rights helped spur MLBPA Executive Director Marvin Miller to many of the nascent union’s earliest gains.

In 1968, Jim caught Catfish Hunter's perfect game on May 8, the first perfect game in the American League since 1922. Hunter only disagreed with Pagliaroni's pitch-calling decisions twice during the game. As a measure of his appreciation for his catcher's contribution to the perfect game, Hunter rewarded Pagliaroni with an inscribed gold watch.

Jim got frequent mentions in Jim Bouton's infamous book "Ball Four."

(excerpted from Wikipedia, BR Bullpen & SABR)