NICK STRINCEVICH

Nick Strincevich, attended Gary Lew Wallace High School, and was Gary’s first Major League Baseball player. Nick began his career as the star pitcher for the Barnes Ice, a baseball team in a semi-pro league that was unofficially called the “twilight league.” He was discovered by an umpire behind the plate who also happened to be a scout for the New York Yankees, after striking out 18 batters in one game. Although Babe Ruth had already retired, Nick had the opportunity to pitch to other well-known baseball players such as Lou Gehrig. Nick became a part of the Yankees’ farm system and made his big-league debut with the Boston Bees on April 23, 1940, played part of the 1941 season with the Boston Braves, played from 1941 to 1948 (excluding 1943) with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and finished his big-league career on June 11, 1948, with the Philadelphia Phillies. In a 10-season career, Strincevich, who was nicknamed “Jumbo” posted a 46–49 record with a 4.05 ERA in 8892⁄3 innings pitched. By the end of his baseball career, he had played with some of baseball’s most stand-out players, including Jackie Robinson, Ted Williams, Al Lopez and Harry Danning. Nick was in the inaugural class of the South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority Sports Hall of Fame and continued to be honored both locally and nationally until his death on November 11, 2011.