Major League Baseball Player. He was born in Ribnik, Czechoclovakia and died in Palmerton, Pennsylvania. The outfielder played 20 years for nine different teams from 1940-61 except for two years (1944-45) when he was in military service. The left-handed batter set various pinch-hitting record (some since broken). On May 1, 1949, he became the first American League player to hit two bases-loaded triples in a game during Philadelphia's 15-9 victory over the Washington Senators in the first game of a doubleheader. Later that year, he collected his third bases-loaded triple of the season to tie the AL mark set by Chicago's Shano Collins in 1918. He played for the A's for 13 years in Philadelphia and one-plus years for them when they moved to Kansas City in 1955. He hit .307 in 1946, .300 in 1947, .305 in 1948 and .302 in 1951. Valo also batted .452 (14 for 31) as a pinch hitter in 1951. He played for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1956 and then was traded to the Brooklyn Dodgers, along with pitchers Ron Negray and Ben Flowers, first baseman Tim Harkness, a minor leaguer and $75,000 for shortstop Chico Fernandez, on April 5, 1957. Then he went to the Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees, Washington Senators, Minnesota Twins and the Phillies. In 1960 he appeared in an AL-record 81 games as a pinch hitter for the Yankees and Senators and walked a record 18 times, a major-league record. Valo finished his career with a .282 average, 1,420 hits (90 as a pinch hitter), 228 doubles, 73 triples, 58 homers and 601 runs batted in. He also walked 943 times (91 as a pinch hitter) and struck out only 284 times.
Major League Baseball Player. He was born in Ribnik, Czechoclovakia and died in Palmerton, Pennsylvania. The outfielder played 20 years for nine different teams from 1940-61 except for two years (1944-45) when he was in military service. The left-handed batter set various pinch-hitting record (some since broken). On May 1, 1949, he became the first American League player to hit two bases-loaded triples in a game during Philadelphia's 15-9 victory over the Washington Senators in the first game of a doubleheader. Later that year, he collected his third bases-loaded triple of the season to tie the AL mark set by Chicago's Shano Collins in 1918. He played for the A's for 13 years in Philadelphia and one-plus years for them when they moved to Kansas City in 1955. He hit .307 in 1946, .300 in 1947, .305 in 1948 and .302 in 1951. Valo also batted .452 (14 for 31) as a pinch hitter in 1951. He played for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1956 and then was traded to the Brooklyn Dodgers, along with pitchers Ron Negray and Ben Flowers, first baseman Tim Harkness, a minor leaguer and $75,000 for shortstop Chico Fernandez, on April 5, 1957. Then he went to the Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees, Washington Senators, Minnesota Twins and the Phillies. In 1960 he appeared in an AL-record 81 games as a pinch hitter for the Yankees and Senators and walked a record 18 times, a major-league record. Valo finished his career with a .282 average, 1,420 hits (90 as a pinch hitter), 228 doubles, 73 triples, 58 homers and 601 runs batted in. He also walked 943 times (91 as a pinch hitter) and struck out only 284 times.
Bio by: Ron Coons
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