Early life Mazzera was born "Melvin Leonard Mazzera" on January 31, 1914, in
Stockton, California.
Career In 1933, Mazzera began his professional baseball career playing for the C-level
San Antonio Missions. That year, Mazzera also played for the
Baton Rouge Solons of the
Dixie League, recording a combined
batting average of .320 in 124
games played. Mazzera continued his minor-league career in 1934, playing for both the
Palestine Pals of
Palestine, Texas, and the San Antonio Missions. In 1935, Mazzera participated in 154 games for the San Antonio Missions while making his Major League debut for the St. Louis Browns on September 9, 1935. For his debut, Mazzera replaced
Ed Coleman as a
pinch runner. Mazzera spent the entire 1936 season and the majority of the 1937 season with the San Antonio Missions, recording 96
hits, 13
doubles, and four
home runs for the Missions in 1936 while recording 134 hits and nine home runs for them in 1937. Mazzera's 1938 season was spent with the St. Louis Browns. In 86 games played, Mazzera batted for a .279 average with six home runs and twenty-five
strikeouts, helping the Browns to finish seventh in the
American League with a 55–97 record. Mazzera played in 33 games for the Browns, but also played for the
Philadelphia Phillies double-A affiliate, the
Toronto Maple Leafs, later that season. Mazzera made his Philies debut in 1940, playing in 69 games for the Phillies. In his only season as a Phillie, Mazzera recorded a .237 batting average with fifteen strikeouts, nineteen
walks, and thirteen runs batted in. In 1940, Mazzera was signed by the
San Diego Padres of the
Pacific Coast League. Mazzera played for the Padres in the 1941, 1942, and 1944 seasons. In 1942, Mazzera led the Padres in home runs, runs batted in, doubles, and
triples, leading to the observance of a "Mel Mazzera Day" on August 30, 1942.
After baseball Mazzera died on December 17, 1997, in
Stockton, California, and was buried in
San Joaquin Cemetery in Stockton. ==References==