Ed Halicki
Sport: Baseball
Born: October 4, 1950
Town: Newark
Edward Louis Halicki was born October 4, 1950 in Newark. He grew up in Kearny and attended Kearny High. While most of the school’s athletes focused on soccer or football, Ed was a basketball and baseball player. By his senior year he was six and a half feet tall. Ed was a Yankees fan as a boy and a Mets fan as teenager.
Ed was drafted by the Cardinals out of high school, but decided to attend Monmouth College. He played for the Hawks baseball and basketball teams, and was part of the 1969 hoops squad that won 24 games. He still ranks among the school’s all-time best forwards and holds the record of 40 rebounds in a game. In1972, the Giants drafted Ed in the 24th round.
Ed burned through the farm system and made his debut with San Francisco in July of 1974. Ed began the 1975 season in the minors but was called up in May. In August, he pitched a 6–0 no-hitter against the Mets in the second game of a doubleheader. The no-no was achieved under something of a cloud of controversy, as Rusty Staub banged a hit off Ed’s leg. Derrell Thomas fielded the carom but bobbled the ball, and it was generously scored an error.
Ed’s best season was 1977, when he went 16–12 and 168 strikeouts. He followed that with a 9-win season in 1978, but was the league’s stingiest pitcher, allowing 166 hits in 199 innings. In 1979, he pitched back-to-back two-hitters.
Injuries slowed Ed in 1980 and he became critical of team management. The Giants responded by waiving him. He signed with the Angels. He won 3 of 4 decisions but was released after the season. He was unable to catch on with another team.
In seven big-league seasons, Ed won 55 games. When he had all his pitches working, he was as tough as any man in baseball; 13 of his 55 wins were shutouts. At 6’7” or 6’8” he was the tallest pitcher in the majors most of career. After baseball, Ed moved to Reno, where he got into the furniture business.
|
