Born to
Lithuanian immigrants in
Collinsville, Illinois, Malinosky idolized
Babe Ruth. He was 5 years old when he decided to become a baseball player. He was the captain of the baseball team of
El Monte High School and attended
Whittier College, where he played baseball and was a classmate of future US President
Richard Nixon. The
Pittsburgh Pirates signed Malinosky to his first professional contract, and then sold his rights to the Dodgers in 1936. During World War II, Malinosky was drafted by the United States Army, with which he saw combat in the
Battle of the Bulge. The Los Angeles Dodgers honored Malinosky at Dodger Stadium in 2009, on the occasion of his 100th birthday. In a statement released after his death, the Dodgers said "Tony lived an incredibly full life, both on and off the field, He remained a Dodger fan his whole life and his visit to Dodger Stadium in 2009 gave the organization a great opportunity to celebrate not only his 100th birthday, but the Dodger chapter of his life that meant so much to him. He will be most certainly missed by all who knew him." Malinosky was a longtime resident of
Oxnard, California since moving to the area in 1976. He was married to his high school sweetheart Viola for 64 years until she died in 1999. He died on February 8, 2011, at
age of 101. At the time of his death, he was the oldest living Major League Baseball player. ==See also==