Mike Balenti
| Mike Balenti | |
|---|---|
| Shortstop | |
| Born: July 3, 1886 Calumet, Oklahoma | |
| Died: August 4, 1955 (aged 69) Altus, Oklahoma | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 19, 1911, for the Cincinnati Reds | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 22, 1913, for the St. Louis Browns | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .183 |
| Home runs | 0 |
| Runs batted in | 11 |
| Teams | |
| |
Michael Richard Balenti (July 3, 1886 – August 4, 1955) was a Major League Baseball shortstop and left fielder who played 70 games for the Cincinnati Reds and the St. Louis Browns in 1911 and 1913, respectively.
His maternal grandfather, Charles Rath, was the namesake of Rath City, Texas. Balenti's mother was born of Charles Rath's marriage to a Cheyenne woman named Making-Out-Roads. Balenti himself was born of his mother's marriage to a Hungarian immigrant. Charles Rath's later marriage to a white woman bore him a son named Morrie Rath, against whom Balenti played in the American League without knowing they were related.[1][2]
Balenti married an Alaska Native, Cecilia Baronovich, who he met while attending Carlisle Indian School. They lived among the Cheyenne in Oklahoma part-time and among Cecilia's people in Alaska during the offseasons. On at least one occasion it took Balenti two months to travel from his minor league club's home in Chattanooga to his offseason home in Alaska. After retirement, he worked in construction in Altus, Oklahoma.[3]
Head coaching record[]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chattanooga Moccasins (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1914) | |||||||||
| 1914 | Chattanooga | 5–4 | 1–3 | 13th | |||||
| Chattanooga: | 5–4 | 1–3 | |||||||
| Total: | 5–4 | ||||||||
References[]
- ^ Anderson, H. Allen. "Rath, Charles". www.tshaonline.org. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
- ^ Weiser, Kathy. "Charles Rath, Buffalo Entrepreneur". www.legendsofamerica.com. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
- ^ Powers-Beck, Jeffrey P. (January 2004). The American Indian Integration of Baseball. U of Nebraska Press. p. 182. ISBN 978-0-8032-3745-2. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
External links[]
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
- Mike Balenti at Find a Grave
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- 1886 births
- 1955 deaths
- American football quarterbacks
- American people of Cheyenne descent
- American people of Hungarian descent
- Baseball players from Oklahoma
- Blackwell Gassers players
- Carlisle Indians baseball players
- Carlisle Indians football players
- Chattanooga Lookouts players
- Chattanooga Mocs football coaches
- Chattanooga Mocs athletic directors
- Cincinnati Reds players
- Galveston Pirates players
- Macon Peaches players
- Major League Baseball shortstops
- Minor league baseball managers
- People from Canadian County, Oklahoma
- Players of American football from Oklahoma
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- American baseball shortstop stubs