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Waterbury Baseball Heritage

The Spirit Lives

Waterbury Quick Facts

Staff Writer

March 27th, 2018

The famed George Herman “Babe”, “the Bambino”, “the Sultan of Swat” Ruth played several professional baseball games with at least four Waterbury-born major league baseball players during his reign of fame from the year 1914 to the year 1935.

At least one African-American played professional baseball for the Waterbury Brassmen 63 years before Jackie Robinson ever played the game.

More than a dozen people who were born at Waterbury went on to play Major League baseball.

The twenty-two professional baseball teams in Waterbury, spanning nearly 100 years, include: The Brassmen, the Brass Citys, the Acmes, the Indians, the Pirates, the Rough Riders, the Hustlers, the Authors, the Invincibles, the Finnegans, the Champs, the Spuds, the Contenders, the Frolickers, the Nattatucks, the Brascos, the Timers, the Giants, the A’s, the Reds, the Angels, and The Spirit.

Wiki brags, “Women's softball pitcher Joan Joyce struck out Ted Williams, Dom DiMaggio, and Johnny Pesky, in order, in the stadium, and in 1947 several members of the New York Yankees including Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, Phil Rizzuto, and Spec Shea, played an exhibition game against the Waterbury Timers in the stadium.”

According to Sporting News, “The Society for American Baseball Research's 1972 Baseball Research Journal describes an 1880s minor league game in Waterbury, Conn., where an umpire got leveled by a sheep. Waterbury's sheep mascot and two loose dogs surrounded home plate umpire John L. Sullivan (yes, the champion boxer) and knocked him over in front of 4,000 fans”.

Darren William Bragg

Darren William Bragg, famous Major League Baseball professional, was born at Waterbury on September 7th, 1969. As an outfielder, Bragg played for the Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox, Saint Louis Cardinals, Colorado Rockies, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, and the Cincinnati Reds. Bragg’s professional baseball career, as a player, ended in the year 2004.

Bragg is currently the owner-operator of "The Hit Club" in Thomaston and Middlebury,, Connecticut, and "Thrive Sports and Fitness", also in Middlebury.

Bragg is one of a handful of Waterbury natives who is listed by SportsEdge.com as one of Connecticut's athletes of all time.

John Cascaes Caneira

John Cascaes Caneira, a famous Major League Baseball Player, was born at Waterbury, Connecticut on October 7th, 1952. Caneira was a pitcher for the California Angels.

Joseph Francis Connor

Joseph Francis Connor, born on the Abrigado at Waterbury on December 8th, 1874, was a professional Major League Baseball catcher. Connor played for the Saint Louis Browns, the Boston Beaneaters, the Milwaukee Brewers, the Cleveland Blues, and the New York Highlanders.

Connor, brother of baseball great Roger Connor, was one of a handful of Waterbury natives who is listed by SportsEdge.com as one of Connecticut's athletes of all time.

Roger “The Home Run King” Connor

Roger “the Homerun King” Connor, born on July 1st, 1857, at the Abrigado in Waterbury, was a professional Major League Baseball player. Connor played professionally for the Waterbury Monitors, the Troy Trojans, the New York Gothams, the New York Giants (in the National League), and the New York Giants (in the Players’ League). Connor held the all-time home run record during his career and for 23 years after he retired from baseball. His record was broken by the famous George Herman “Babe” Ruth, who played in many more games than Connor.

Connor was of intimidating stature, and it is his stature and dominance in the game that gave the Gothams the nickname Giants, which, later, prompted the team to change their name to the New York Giants. Connor hit professional baseball’s first ever grand-slam - which happened when his team was down by three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs against them - at the Polo Grounds, which is known as a very difficult homerun park.

Connor, brother of baseball great Joseph Francis Connor, was one of a handful of Waterbury natives who is listed by SportsEdge.com as one of Connecticut's athletes of all time. Connor was also inducted into the national Baseball Hall of Fame.

Patrick Michael Dean

Patrick Michael Dean, born at Waterbury on May 25th, 1989 is a professional baseball pitcher. Dean has been playing professional Major League Baseball for the Minnesota Twins, since the year 2016. Dean played for several professional minor league baseball teams, including the Kia Tigers, the Elizabeth Twins, the GCL Twins, the Beloit Snappers, the Fort Myers Miracle, the New Britain Rock Cats, and the Rochester Red Wings.

Ronald Michael "Ron" Diorio

Ronald Michael "Ron" Diorio was born at Waterbury on July 15th, 1946. Diorio is a former Major League Baseball pitcher with the Philadelphia Phillies, and began his professional baseball career in 1973.

Francis Rostell “Red” Donahue

Francis Rostell “Red” Donahue was born at Waterbury on January 23rd, 1873. Donahue was a professional American Major League Baseball pitcher, starting professionally in 1893. Donahue played for the New York Giants, and the Saint Louis Browns.

John J. Fitzgerald
or Warren B. Fitzgerald

John J. Fitzgerald, who is also said to be Warren B. Fitzgerald, was born at Waterbury in 1866. Fitzgerald was a professional baseball player on the Rochester Broncos

Frederick Augustus "Duke" Klobedanz
Frederick Augustus "Duke" Klobedanz, born at Waterbury on June 13th, 1871 was a professional Major League pitcher for the Boston Beaneaters

John Henry “Jack” McMahon
John Henry McMahon, born at Waterbury on October 15th, 1869, was a professional Major League Baseball player for the New York Giants beginning in 1892.

Daniel Phelan
Daniel Phelan, born at Waterbury on November 5th, 1861, was a professional Major League Baseball player for the Louisville Colonels beginning in 1890.

Piersall, diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, was the subject of “Fear Strikes Out” - both a book and a motion picture film. Piersall also authored “The Truth Hurts”.

Piersall was twice invited as a special guest to the White House - once by former President John Fitzgerald “Jack” Kennedy.

David William Wallace
David William Wallace, born at Waterbury on September 7th, 1947, is a professional Major League Baseball player. Wallace played for the Philadelphia Phillies, and the Toronto Blue Jays.

Wallace continued his professional baseball career off the field in several capacities for Los Angeles Dodgers, the New York Mets, the Boston Red Sox, the Houston Astros, the Seattle Mariners, the Atlanta Braves, and the Baltimore Orioles.

George Rowland "Pinky" Woods
George Rowland "Pinky" Woods was born at Waterbury on May 22nd, 1920. Woods was a professional Major League baseball player. Starting his professional baseball career in 1943, Woods played for the Boston Red Sox.

The Grechika Brothers:
Jeremy Grechika and Jason “Cheeks” Grechika
Although the Grechika brothers, Jeremy and Jason were born at Waterbury, Connecticut, they undoubtedly feel more connected to the town where they grew up - and became local sports legends - Watertown, Connecticut.

Their high school sports fame includes baseball, football, and soccer. Their path to such stardom is interesting of itself, and an even more intriguing event for Jason, "Cheeks", is chronicled here, and involves a mysterious voyage from Connecticut or Florida to Tennessee, and a 16-year missing ring. Their starring performances are so important to Watertown that even after 16 years of new graduating classes, their names are common-place to the current students.

In high school, both Grechika brothers were officially labeled All-Stars. The Grechika brothers also both played minor league professional baseball in Florida.

For a corrected history of baseball, especially regarding players of African descent, click here.

Waterbury Baseball Spirit Endures
Despite ending it’s professional baseball stent in 2001, an energized push by many residents of Waterbury continued to rally to bring back professional baseball to Waterbury until at least the year 2012. A Facebook page is, The Waterbury Connecticut Baseball Archives, still exists.

Waterbury's Deep Rooted Baseball History

More on Waterbury's history in baseball: Our boys of summer
Republican American Archives (rep-am.com)

Waterbury's Baseball Greats

Darren William Bragg
John Cascaes Caneira
Joseph Francis Connor
Roger Connor
Patrick Michael Dean
Ronald Michael Diorio
Francis Rostell Donahue
George Fields
John J. Willam B. Fitzgerald
Frederick Augustus Klobedanz
John Henry McMahon
Daniel Phelan
James Anthony Piersall
Lawrence Michael Porzio
Johnny Francis Moore
Wavid William Wallace
George Rowland Woods
Jerome Grechika
Jason Grechika