He graduated in 1980 from
Uxbridge High School (
Uxbridge, Massachusetts). Fortugno is an alumnus of
Golden West College and
Vanguard University of Southern California. Fortugno signed with the
Seattle Mariners as an amateur free agent in 1986. He was traded along with
Phil Bradley from the Mariners to the
Philadelphia Phillies for
Glenn Wilson,
Mike Jackson and
Dave Brundage at the
Winter Meetings on December 9, 1987. He made his major league debut at the age of 30 with the
California Angels on July 20, 1992, and appear in his final game on July 26, 1995. His last year in professional baseball was in 1998. He played until he was 36 years old, ultimately, venturing into scouting. Primarily a
relief pitcher during his professional career (1986–1997), his first major league
win came in his second start. On July 25, 1992, Fortugno hurled a three-hit
shutout against the
Detroit Tigers, striking out 12. Fortugno's career totals include 76
games pitched (5 starts), 110.1
innings, a 3–4 record with one
save, and an
ERA of 5.06. Fortugno was the pitcher who yielded the 3,000th hit of future
Hall of Fame member
George Brett on September 30, 1992. Shortly after giving up the hit, he picked Brett off at first base. ==References==