Steve Nicosia


Steven Richard Nicosia is a former catcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants, Montreal Expos and Toronto Blue Jays during eight seasons spanning 1978–1985. Listed at 5' 10" and weighing 185 lb., Nicosia batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Paterson, New Jersey.

Major League Baseball career

Nicosia was a first round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates out of North Miami Beach High School in 1973. At the age of only twenty-two, On July 8, 1978, Nicosia made his major league debut for the Pirates. In the following season, Nicosia was primarily a platoon catcher and he was called on to start at catcher for four of the seven games in the 1979 World Series against the lefty-heavy starting rotation of the Baltimore Orioles. Nicosia was behind the plate for the Pirates World Series winning Game Seven victory over the Orioles. During highlights of Game Seven of the 1979 World Series, Nicosia can be seen delivering several punches to a fan following the conclusion of the game. The fan was one of hundreds who had invaded the playing surface of Baltimore's Memorial Stadium trying to secure souvenirs of the victory.