Julio Bonetti

Who was Julio Bonetti?

Julio Giacomo Bonetti was a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Browns and Chicago Cubs. He is one of only seven Italian-born Major League Baseball players in history.

Bonetti made his major league debut with the Browns on April 22, 1937. He became a versatile pitcher for the lowly Browns that season, pitching in 12 games out of the bullpen and starting 16 others, seven of which he completed. He managed just a 4–11 record and a 5.84 ERA, but his ERA was actually better than the last-place team's average of 6.00.

Nevertheless, in 1938 Bonetti pitched exclusively in relief, going 2-3 with a 6.35 ERA in 17 games. His contract was purchased by the Cubs in February 1939, and after some time in the minors, Bonetti worked his way onto the Cubs roster in April 1940. Unfortunately, his Cub debut, which came three years to the day after his major league debut, was disastrous. Bonetti allowed three runs on three hits and four walks in just 1¹⁄₃ innings for an ERA of 20.25. He never pitched in the major leagues again.

Bonetti died June 17, 1952 in Belmont, California.