Major League Baseball Player. He played Major League baseball as a catcher for 14 seasons (1939 to 1952) with the Boston Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago White Sox. One of the best National League defensive catchers in the 1940s, weak-hitting problems kept him from being an everyday player for the first few years of his career. From his debut with the Braves in 1939 to 1945, the most games he played in a season was 89, but despite his lack of everyday play he gained a reputation for being a good handler of pitchers with fast feet defensively. In 1945, after working himself hard to become a better hitter, he finally became Boston’s main catcher, a role he would hold for the next 4 years, in which time he either led or was in the top 5 among NL catchers in fielding categories. In 1945 he was named to the NL All-Star team, but missed playing in the game due to injury. From 1946 to 1948 he made 3 more consecutive trips to the All-Star Games, and managed to stroke a single in the 1948 contest off the Yankee’s Vic Raschi. Also in 1948 his steady play in the field and his handling of notable Braves pitchers such as Johnny Sain and Warren Spahn helped the Braves capture the National League Pennant for the first time since the 1914 “Miracle Braves”. That years’ World Series pitted the Braves against the Cleveland Indians, who downed Boston 4 Games to 2 on the strength of the pitching of Bob Lemon and Gene Bearden, and the hitting of Larry Doby. Phil Masi played in five of the six games, and hit only .125, but made his mark on the Series in Game 1. With the Braves’ Johnny Sain and the Indian’s Bob Feller locked in a scoreless pitcher’s duel in the 8th inning, he was sent in as a pinch-runner, and stole second on a controversial call by umpire Bill Stewart (photos of the blown call showed that Phil Masi was clearly out). He would then score the Game’s only run on a single by Tommy Holmes. Midway through the 1949 season he was dealt to the Pittsburgh Pirates, who then sold him to the Chicago White Sox after the season ended. In his first year the Chicago he continued his steady fielding, and led all AL catchers in fielding percentage. He would play two more years with the White Sox before retiring. His career totals were 1,229 Games Played, 917 hits, 420 Runs, 47 Home Runs, 417 RBIs, and a career .264 Batting Average. Three times he led his League in Fielding Percentage.