text: pretzel pezzullo john " pretzel " pezzullo ( december 10 , 1910 – may 16 , 1990 ) , also known as pretzels , was a professional baseball player whose career spanned eight seasons , two of which were spent with the major league baseball ( mlb ) philadelphia phillies . pezzullo , a pitcher , compiled an earned run average ( era ) of 6 . 36 , allowing 61 earned runs off of 116 hits , five home runs , and 51 walks while recording 24 strikeouts over 86 . 1 innings pitched . pezzullo also played in six seasons of minor league baseball . he made his mlb debut at the age of 24 after spending a season in the minor leagues for the new york giants organization . pezzullo earned the nicknamed " pretzel " after his unusual pitching style . after retiring from baseball , pezzullo moved to dallas , texas , where he died of cancer on may 16 , 1990 . early life pezzullo was born on december 10 , 1910 , in bridgeport , connecticut . he had four siblings and is of italian ancestry . pezzullo attended school until the eighth grade , after which he went to trade school to learn cabinet and pattern making . he was officially listed as standing 5 feet 11 inches ( 180 cm ) and weighing 180 pounds ( 82 kg ) when he played professionally . professional career pezzullo began his professional baseball career in 1934 , when he played for the richmond colts , an affiliate of the new york giants . pezzullo finished the season fifth in the piedmont league in wins , with 16 , while finishing fourth on the colts in games pitched , recording 27 games over the season . he was called " a good pitching prospect " by chicago tribune sports writer arch ward . on november 1 of that year , pezzullo was traded as a part of a four - man deal that sent him , blondy ryan , johnny , george watkins , and cash to the philadelphia phillies in exchange for dick bartell . for the 1935 season , pezzullo , who pitched for the major - league phillies , recorded a team - worst era of 6 . 40 , along with a 3 – 5 win – loss record over 40 games pitched . he hit seven batters by a pitch , tying him for the seventh most hit batsmen in mlb . in pezzullo 's final mlb game in 1936 , he walked six batters in two innings pitched . minor league career pezzullo also played for two minor league teams during the 1936 season : the richmond colts and the hazleton mountaineers . combined , pezzullo went 14 – 10 with a 5 . 19 era . the following season he played for the savannah indians and the colts ; for the indians , pezzullo went 13 – 8 over 165 . 0 innings pitched . the following season , he played only for the indians , an affiliate of the pittsburgh pirates . his 26 wins were best in the southern league , while his 288 . 0 innings pitched also led all southern league players . in a game against the spartanburg spartans , pezzullo struck out 17 batters . after the season he was sold to the double - a toronto maple leafs of the international league , where , under managers tony lazzeri and jack burns , pezzullo won 11 games and lost 12 . he went 5 – 16 the following year , before leaving the team for the syracuse chiefs and the buffalo bisons in his final year of professional baseball in 1941 . after baseball after retiring from baseball , pezzullo moved to dallas , texas , where he married betty ( née ) and had one daughter , patti moore . in dallas , he designed aircraft missile models and founded gulf industries , a grand prairie - based model subcontracting firm . pezzullo died on may 16 , 1990 , of cancer . funeral processions were held on may 18 at holy redeemer mausoleum chapel in desoto , texas , where he was interred .