Frankie Gustine

Frank William Gustine (February 20, 1920 – April 1, 1991) was an American Major League Baseball player who appeared in three All-Star Games during his 12-season (1939–50) MLB career. He spent the bulk of his tenure (1,176 games played) with the Pittsburgh Pirates, though he also played a season for the Chicago Cubs and played the last nine games of his career with the 1950 St. Louis Browns. He also was a coach for the latter two months of that season for the Pirates.

Frankie Gustine
Infielder
Born: (1920-02-20)February 20, 1920
Hoopeston, Illinois, U.S.
Died: April 1, 1991(1991-04-01) (aged 71)
Davenport, Iowa, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 13, 1939, for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Last MLB appearance
May 17, 1950, for the St. Louis Browns
MLB statistics
Batting average.265
Home runs38
Runs batted in480
Teams
Career highlights and awards

The native of Hoopeston, Illinois, threw and batted right-handed. He stood 6 feet (1.8 m) tall and weighed 175 pounds (79 kg).

Gustine played all positions in the infield, spending most of his time at first and second base. He was selected to the All-Star game in 1946, 1947 and 1948. In 1,261 MLB games played, Gustine collected 1,214 hits, including 222 doubles and 47 triples. His best season was 1947, when he reached career highs in batting average (.297), hits (183), runs scored (102), and runs batted in (67).

His roommate during his career with the Pirates was Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner.

Other sports

During baseball off-seasons, Gustine coached the basketball team at Waynesburg College.[1]

Post-baseball career

In 1954, Gustine and Lee Handley began a daily 15-minute sports program on KDKA radio in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They had previously worked together on both radio and TV programs.[2] Gustine also had a restaurant near Forbes Field in Pittsburgh.[3]

References
  1. "Gustine Homer Put On Record". The Plain Speaker. Pennsylvania, Hazleton. Associated Press. June 8, 1948. p. 20. Retrieved 14 July 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Ex-Pirate Infielders Helm KDKA Sports Shows". Variety. April 28, 1954. p. 35. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  3. "Sportstrait Tells Of Frankie Gustine". Republican and Herald. Pennsylvania, Pottsville. United Press. April 28, 1958. p. 10. Retrieved 14 July 2019 – via Newspapers.com.


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