Michael Edward Ulicny (September 28, 1917 – September 22, 2005), nicknamed "Slugs",[1] was an American professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Braves in 1945. Listed at 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m) and 165 pounds (75 kg), he was a native of Greenwald, Pennsylvania.[2]
Mike Ulicny | |
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Catcher | |
Born: Greenwald, Pennsylvania, U.S. | September 28, 1917|
Died: September 22, 2005 New Smyrna Beach, Florida, U.S. | (aged 87)|
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
May 5, 1945, for the Boston Braves | |
Last MLB appearance | |
June 22, 1945, for the Boston Braves | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .389 |
Home runs | 1 |
Runs batted in | 4 |
Teams | |
Ulicny's professional baseball career spanned 1938 to 1950; he appeared in a total of 886 minor league games.[3] He is one of many ballplayers who only appeared in the major leagues during World War II. He hit well in the 11 games he played for the Boston Braves, going 7-for-18, a .389 batting average. He had one home run, four runs batted in (RBIs), four runs scored, and a .611 slugging percentage. He was mainly used as a pinch-hitter, appearing in only four games as a catcher.[4] His uncommon last name sometimes appeared in newspaper box scores of the era as "Ulisney".[5][6] In 1950, he served as player-manager of the minor league Niagara Falls Citizens.[3][7]
Ulicny served in the United States Army during World War II,[8] including in 1943 when he was stationed at Fort Dix (New Jersey) and Camp Gordon Johnston (Florida) and did not play baseball professionally.[9][3] He died at the age of 87 in New Smyrna Beach, Florida.[2] He is buried at Deltona Memorial Gardens in Orange City, Florida.[8]