1934-1936 Diamond Stars: #80 Louis Chiozza

Louis Peo Chiozza

Philadelphia Phillies

Second Base

Bats: Left Throws: Right Height: 6'0" Weight: 172

Born: May 17, 1910, Tallulah, LA

Major League Teams: Philadelphia Phillies 1934-1936; New York Giants 1937-1939

World Series Appearances: New York Yankees 1937

Died: February 28, 1971, Memphis, TN (60)

Lou Chiozza was a regular for the Phillies between 1934 and 1936, playing second base, third base and all three outfield positions. Selected from the Memphis Chicks in the 1933 rule 5 draft, Chiozza was the Phillies opening day third baseman in 1934 although he'd spend most of that season playing second base. He'd appear in no less than 124 games during his three seasons with the Phillies, knocking in no less than 44 runs in each of those seasons as well. For the basement-dwelling Phillies of that era, he was a consistent and steady presence in the line-up. 1936 would see him play in a career-high 144 games, and his versatility allowed him to start 80 games in center field, 27 games at second base, 23 games at shortstop and five games in left field. Chiozza was traded to the Giants following the 1936 season and he'd play three more seasons in the majors, reaching the World Series with the Giants in 1937. He suffered a career-ending injury in 1939, colliding with Giants' outfielder Jo-Jo Moore in a game and suffering a compound leg fracture.

Chiozza would attempt a comeback in 1941 back in Memphis, but the leg injury proved too difficult to overcome. In 616 major league games, Chiozza batted .277 with 633 hits, 14 home runs and 197 RBIs.

Building the Set

January 18, 2022 from Los Angeles, CA (Greg Morris Cards) - Card #39

I was somewhat surprised to win the auction for this card, as my winning bid was lower than I thought the card would ultimately go for. I had bid on maybe a dozen cards, all ending around the same time, from the same dealer, ultimately losing every auction except this one. I've won quite a few auctions from Greg Morris Cards while building our 1965 Topps set, but this is the first Diamond Stars card I've won from them. I usually have a story to go along with a purchase or an addition to my sets, but in this case I just wanted to bid on a bunch of Diamond Stars cards and hope for the best.

The addition of this Chiozza card gets me to just two cards away from a Phillies team set. I still need the difficult to find Dick Bartell (#15) card that lists his team as the Philadelphia Nationals on the back, and the third series Ethan Allen (#92) card. I thought I had the Bartell Phillies card in hand, but I had actually purchased the Bartell Giants card, posted here.

Variations Available

1 - 1935 / green back / 1934 statistics / 1935 copyright ✅

2 - 1935 / blue back / 1934 statistics / 1935 copyright

3 - 1936 / blue back / 1935 statistics / 1935 copyright

Cards 73 through 84 were issued in 1935 with either green or blue ink on the back and statistics from 1934. These same 12 cards were issued again in 1936 with blue ink on the back and statistics from 1935. The Chiozza card for my set is the first of the three variations available.

The Card / Phillies Team Set

I've always felt this is one of the creepiest Phillies baseball cards ever. As the baserunner barrels towards Chiozza, he's paused to give a sinister looking smile to the camera. It's just a bizarre picture. I've included the picture above of Chiozza to demonstrate he didn't always appear to be smiling while hatching evil plans. Flipping to the back, the reader gets a tip on how to approach hard hit and softly hit ground balls. This is an ironic tip to use for Chiozza's card, as he'd struggle defensively in the field during his first few seasons with the Phillies.

1935 Season / Phillies Career

As mentioned above, Chiozza joined the Phillies for their 1934 season and was immediately inserted into the line-up as an every day player. His bat was consistent and in three seasons with the Phillies he averaged .295 over 402 games. Chiozza struggled in the field, perhaps leading to his frequent position shifts, as he led the league in errors by a second baseman in both 1934 and 1935. On May 24, 1935, he was the first lead-off batter in the first major league night game, stepping up to the plate at Crosley Field in Cincinnati against Reds' pitcher Paul Derringer. Chiozza grounded out to short in that first at-bat.

A few days later, on May 29th, Chiozza's base hit against the Braves at the Baker Bowl indirectly led to the end of Babe Ruth's (#109) career. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Chiozza looped a ball down the left field line that landed in front of Ruth. As Ruth struggled to reach the ball, Chiozza swiftly rounded the bases and was safe at home. The home plate umpire called him out though, with the story going that the umpire felt badly for the aging Ruth. Ruth would bat in the top of the next inning, striking out in his penultimate major league at-bat against the Phillies' Syl Johnson. Hal Lee replaced Ruth in left field in the bottom of the sixth and the 40-year-old Ruth would announce his retirement from baseball a few days later.

Chiozza's brother, Dino Chiozza, appeared in two games for the Phillies in 1935, making them one of the first combinations of brothers to play together on the same team. Lou Chiozza's time with the Phillies came to an end on December 8, 1936, when the team dealt him to the Giants for infielder George Scharein and cash.