60 year-old Paul Risso signed a one-day contract with the Raton Osos of the Pecos League, attempting to become the oldest professional baseball pitcher who never spent a day in the Majors or the minor leagues. Other independent baseball teams have had pitchers who were over 55, but all had previous Major League or Minor League experience as well as Negro League experience (Ted “Double Duty” Radcliffe pitched one pitch for the Schaumburg Flyers). A lot of the independent baseball leagues in the Southwest do not get much media coverage, so Paul’s attempts to make independent teams in previous years went unreported.
Earlier this season Paul gained coverage for his efforts on the Today Show. He attempted to make the St. Paul Saints, but the Saints did not sign him. Risso pitched a scoreless inning for the Raton Osos (Pecos League) last night. Whether he will come back and pitch again for the Pecos League later this season is still to be determined.
Here are some articles offering more in-depth coverage of the event:
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/sports/article_10450f3f-8acf-5ddd-8e22-ac4e8bf3f294.html
http://www.pecosleague.com/pecosleague.asp?page=28&article_id=884
For you baseball historians, please let us know if there has ever been an older pitcher whose first professional pitch was over the age of 60. Thanks!
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