Gus Triandos

Gus Triandos (July 30, 1930 – March 28, 2013) was a Greek American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball mostly as a catcher but also played as a first baseman for the New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles and the Detroit Tigers of the American League and the Philadelphia Phillies and Houston Astros of the National League. He batted and threw right-handed.

Playing career

Born in San Francisco, California, Triandos was signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent in 1948. He joined the Yankees' major league roster briefly in 1953, but was sent back to the minor leagues in 1954. Triandos was traded to the Baltimore Orioles in 1955 where he played mostly as a first baseman for his first two years with the team, before becoming the Orioles' regular catcher in 1957. As the Orioles' catcher, he used an outsized catcher's mitt designed by manager Paul Richards to handle the unpredictable knuckleball of Hoyt Wilhelm. Triandos was behind the plate when Wilhelm threw a no hitter against the New York Yankees on September 20, 1958, and also scored the only run of the game when he hit a home run in the eighth inning. Triandos said catching for Wilhelm was incredibly taxing, telling a reporter, "Wilhelm nearly ruined me."