Marius Russo only had a six-year Major League career, all with the Yankees, and it has to be one of the most interesting careers ever.
Russo was a southpaw pitcher, but batted right. He would make his Yankees’ debut on June 5th, 1939, putting on a 1.1 inning shutout performance. 1939 would feature an 8-3 record in 21 appearances (11 starts), pitching 116 innings to a 2.41 ERA, which included 2 shutouts and 9 complete games.
1940-41 would be the best years of Russo’s career, not to mention it has to be among the most insane pitching stat lines in baseball history.
Russo appeared in 58 games, starting in 51 of them over the 1940, 1941 seasons. He pitched 42 complete games, but didn’t even win 30 of them.
So, Marius Russo threw a complete game over 50% of the time in that two-year span, that is a stretch that you will never see in today's baseball.
Not to mention at the end of 1941 he was already a three-time World Series champion, being part of New York’s championship power from 1939-41.
1942 was limited due to an arm injury and 1943 would mark the worst season of Russo’s career, with a 5-10 record and 3.72 ERA. His only highlight during the 1943 season was when he held St. Louis to seven hits in Game 4 of the World Series, while also hitting two doubles and scored the winning run in the eighth inning enroute to a 2-1 Yankees win.
Russo would then serve in the U.S. Army Signal Corps, missing 1944 and ‘45 seasons. He would return to New York in 1946, but a 4.34 ERA in 18.2 innings would mark the end to his career.
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