BOSTON -- Major League Baseball mourns the loss of Tony Cloninger, who passed away on Tuesday at the age of 77. He is survived by three sons, Tony Jr., Darin and Michael; a daughter, Meredith Cloninger Sherrill; a brother, Ray; nine grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. Tony Cloninger Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More | Baseball-Reference.com We've updated our WAR calculations based on new data updates. us, Died: Allen was born in Strawberry Plains on February 14, 1943 to the late Randy and Mary Lee Cloninger. Tony Cloninger weighed 210 lbs (95 kg) when playing. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Local baseball fans will forever remember Cloninger as the opening day starter for the Atlanta Braves in their April 12, 1966 major league debut at old Fulton County Stadium and for hitting two grand slams in the . 1966 Atlanta Braves Opening Day Game | The Danville Register | 12 April 1966Baseball Almanac Research Library, On April 12, 1966, at Atlanta Stadium, the Atlanta Braves played their first game in team history after the move from Milwaukee. He had a 16-5 pitching record with 308 strikeouts in 171 innings in those two seasons, which ended with playoff defeats to Shelby. That's what Tony Cloninger showed more than 50 years ago when he proved power hitting is just as good as power pitching. DENVER, N.C. Former major league pitcher Tony Cloninger, perhaps best known for hitting two grand slams in a game, has died. We are sad to announce that on April 9, 2023, at the age of 70, Teena Katherine Barnes of Campobello, South Carolina passed away. A farming family blessed with considerable baseball genes - an older brother passed on a potential professional career, and two of Tony's sons . Fill in some information about your loved one, and we'll generate some text that you can use as a starting point for your online memorial. His fastball is in the same class with Bob Gibson's, Bob Veale's, Jim Maloney's, Don Drysdale's, and those fellows. They said I could say that., Tony Cloninger, Pitcher Remembered for His Bat, Dies at 77, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/31/obituaries/tony-cloninger-pitcher-remembered-for-his-bat-dies-at-77.html. Cloninger recovered and returned to the Red Sox, first as a senior pitching adviser in 2004 and then spending the next 14 seasons as a player development consultant. Burial will follow in the church cemetery. . Playing at Candlestick Park, Cloninger became the only pitcher to hit two grand slams in the same game. [2], Cloninger finished his career pitching with Cincinnati and St. Louis. Playing at Candlestick Park, Cloninger became the only pitcher to hit two grand slams in the same game. DENVER, N.C. -- Former major league pitcher Tony Cloninger, perhaps best known for hitting two grand slams in a game, has died. Cloninger also had a 22-strikeout game earlier in the 1957 season in a 10-1 victory at Shelby's old Sumter Street ballpark. Some defensive statistics Copyright Sports Info Solutions, 2010-2023. [4] In 2004, Cloninger became a player development consultant for the Red Sox, serving for almost 15 consecutive seasons until his death. He enjoyed his best year for the 1965 Braves, with career highs in wins (24), strikeouts (211), ERA (3.29), complete games (16), innings (279) and games started (40). His funeral service will be held at 11:00 am on Monday, July 30, 2018 at Denver United Methodist Church. Cloninger recovered and returned to the Red Sox, first as a senior pitching adviser in 2004 and then spending the next 14 seasons as a player development consultant. Playing career [ edit] Authorize the publication of the original written obituary with the accompanying photo. The son of the late Carl E. andEdna L. Cloninger, he is survived by three sons Tony, Jr. (Karen), Darin (Angie) and Michael (Kim) and one daughterMeredith Sherrill (Ronnie). He was 77. The right-hander was 24-11 for Milwaukee in 1965, the club's last season before moving to Atlanta. Cloninger was a high school star in the North Carolina community of Denver, then went 113-97 during 12 seasons in the big leagues, mostly with the Braves. He had worked as a consultant for the Boston Red Sox since 2002 and the team announced his death Saturday. Cloninger would make his professional debut in Midland, Tex., in June 1958 and make his major league debut on June 15, 1961, as a 20-year-old. So many of them.". Prepare a personalized obituary for someone you loved.. August 13, 1940 - Cloninger was 20 years old when he broke into the big leagues on June 15, 1961, with the Milwaukee Braves. He joined the Red Sox the following year as pitching coach, and remained with the team until his passing, leaving for a period as he recovered from treatment for bladder cancer during the early part of his tenure.Cloninger spent most of his big league career with the Braves, from 1961-68, and was with the club when it moved from Milwaukee to Atlanta. Mr. Tony Lee Cloninger, Sr., age 77, of Denver, passed away on Tuesday, July 24, 2018. Ray was born August 26, 1946 in Bellefontaine to the late Donald Edward and Emma L. (Jackson) Cloninger. Scores from any date in Major League history, Minor, Foreign, College, & Black Baseball, Frequently Asked Questions about MLB and Baseball, Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREE. Cloninger died Tuesday in Denver, North Carolina at the . He was 77. IRON STATION Rarely in newspaper history does a sports story on a high school athlete rate Page One coverage. He joined the Red Sox in 2002 as pitching coach, but in June 2003 he was forced to take a medical leave of absence to undergo treatment for bladder cancer, which had been diagnosed in March. Cloninger, who went on to have a 12-year major league career, died on Tuesday at age 77. He went 24-11 with a 3.29 ERA in 1965 and was 14-11 with a 4.12 ERA in 1966 while also hitting .261with five home runs and 23 RBIs. Part of the Baseball Almanac Family, Denver United Methodist Church Cemetery, Denver, North Carolina. Cloninger enjoyed his best season on the mound in 1965, when he won 24 games and posted a 3.29 ERA in the club's final season in Milwaukee. - Bragan, Bobby. Where what happened yesterday is being preserved today. vs. SFG 4.0 IP, 6 H, 2 SO, 2 BB, 6 ER, L, Last Game: Copyright 2023 Echovita Inc. All rights reserved. In that stretch, Cloninger went 113-97 with a 4.07 ERA over 1,767 2/3 innings across 352 outings, including 247 starts. But he narrowed his list of finalists to the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Braves and San Francisco Giants before signing with the Braves. Denis Menke Bat | Tony Cloninger Two Grand Slams Game | July 3, 1966. It was later that season, with a bat, that Cloninger put himself into the record book. It just didn't work out too good for me. Total Zone Rating and initial framework for Wins above Replacement calculations provided by Sean Smith. While the major league draft didn't officially begin until 1965, Cloninger in essence was the 2018 version of theDetroit Tigers' No. Cloninger started and took the loss at Baltimore in Game 3 he was pulled in the sixth, and later that inning Dave McNally connected off reliever Wayne Granger to become the first pitcher to hit a grand slam in the World Series. Javascript is required for the selection of a player. In 1970 he went to the World Series with Cincinnati and started Game 3 against the Baltimore Orioles. Tony Cloninger Baseball Stats by Baseball Almanac Tony Cloninger Stats Tony Cloninger was born on Tuesday, August 13, 1940, in Lincoln County, North Carolina. He had worked as a consultant for the Boston Red Sox since 2002 and the team announced his death Saturday. The right-hander was 24-11 for Milwaukee in 1965, the club's last season before moving to Atlanta. He had worked as a consultant for the Boston Red Sox since 2002, and the team announced his death Saturday. Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Baseball Reference Database. Cloninger died Tuesday. Cloninger died Tuesday. The Braves dont tell me how much they give, he said. He had worked as a. Please accept Echovita's sincere condolences. He was 77.Cloninger died Tuesday. Ranking MLB's radical City Connect uniforms: Which one's No. He had worked as a consultant for . His first grand slam came in the first inning with the Braves already ahead, 3-0, thanks to a home run by Torre, Atlantas catcher. Cloninger, a right-handed batter, worked Priddy to a full count before stunning the crowd by hammering the ball over the center field fence 410 feet away almost the same spot where Torres blast had gone out. Win Expectancy, Run Expectancy, and Leverage Index calculations provided by Tom Tango of InsideTheBook.com, and co-author of The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball. Tony Cloninger, who threw the first pitch in Atlanta Braves history and hit two grand slams in one game later that inaugural season, died. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Cloninger hit five of his 11 career home runs in 1966. He was 77. In the May 22, 1958, edition of The Gaston Gazette, Tony Cloninger was that rare player. Pitching at what was then called Atlanta Stadium, he started on opening day and tossed all 13 innings in a 3-2 loss to Pittsburgh a home run by Willie Stargell broke the tie. Warlick Funeral Home is serving the family. In this July 3, 1966, file photo, Atlanta Braves right-hander Tony Cloninger hoists an armload of bats after pitching the Braves to a 17-3 victory over the San Francisco Giants in which . in Lincoln County, NC Local baseball fans will forever remember Cloninger as the opening day starter for the Atlanta Braves in their April12, 1966, major league debut at old Fulton County Stadium and for hitting two grand slams in the same game (still a major league record) later that season at San Francisco's Candlestick Park on July 3, 1966. Those performances made him, at 17, a top prospect in 1958, when the Braves signed him to a contract with a $100,000 bonus an exorbitant sum at the time soon after he graduated. Or write about sports? The right-hander was 24-11 for Milwaukee in 1965, the club's last season before moving to Atlanta. Regarded as a tough fireball pitcher, Cloninger also was a dangerous power hitter. Milwaukee Braves Manager. The year after Tony won twenty-four games, the Braves moved from Milwaukee to Atlanta leaving Tony the single season record holder for most wins in a year by Milwaukee Braves pitcher. Tony Cloninger was the sole pitcher during that historic 13-inning Opening Day game, lost it 3-2, and said, "I was excited about going to Atlanta, about being able to pitch not too far from my North Carolina home. For nine seasons beginning in 1992, Cloninger was a New York Yankees coach, eight as the bullpen coach and one as the pitching coach under manager Joe Torre. Did you know Cloninger is also the only pitcher ever to accomplish the feat in baseball history through today, the first player from the National League ever to hit two slams in one game, and Tony tied the Major League mark for most RBIs in a game by a pitcher - all in that same game? He became Boston's pitching coach in 2002 and took a medical leave in 2003 because of bladder cancer. Traded to Cincinnati during the 1968 season, he went to the World Series with the Reds in 1970. He compiled a career batting average of .192, with 67 RBIs and 11 home runs, including five in the 1966 season. It was because Cloninger, who had just graduated from Denver's old Rock Springs High, was signing for $100,000 with theMilwaukee Braves one of largest signing bonuses to that point in major league baseball history. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Visitation will be held on Sunday from 4 to 7 p.m. at Denver United Methodist Church, Highway 16 North, with funeralservices on Monday at 11 a.m. at Denver United Methodist Church. (As a batter, he had a career average of .192.). July 24, 2018 Nicknamed the "Rock Springs Rifle" by late Gazette sports reporter Dwight Frady when Cloninger was a basketball andbaseball star at Rock Springs and a baseball star for Cherryville American Legion Post 100, Cloninger would eventuallybecome one of the first players that led to the region's ongoing embrace of the Atlanta Braves. Cloninger finished up as a reliever with St. Louis in 1972. A 12-year Major League veteran pitcher and member of the Red Sox organization from 2002-18, Cloninger spent more than 40 years in professional baseball, including the past 14 as a player development consultant for Boston.After attending Rock Springs High School in Denver, N.C., Cloninger signed with the Milwaukee Braves as an amateur free agent in 1958. Allen A. Cloninger - age 79, passed away peacefully into the arms of Jesus on the evening of Friday, September 23, 2022. All Rights Reserved. Tony Lee Cloninger was the fourth child born to Carl E. Cloninger and his wife, Edna (ne Lynch) on August 13, 1940, in the rolling terrain of Lincoln County, North Carolina, northwest of Charlotte. In a 12-year pitching career, Cloninger had a combined record of 113-97, a 4.07 earned run average and 1,120 strikeouts. When the first Braves season in Atlanta was complete, Tony-C had "thrown" twenty-seven wild pitches, a team record for the Atlanta Braves through today, and the most in franchise history since Kid Nichols (1890-1906), who threw thirty wild pitches in 1890! Tony Cloninger, who assured himself a page in the rich lore of Major League Baseball when he became the only pitcher to hit two grand slams in a game, died on July 24 in Denver, N.C., where he had been a high school standout. Bob Lynn and Pastor Mike Devine officiating. Cloninger died Tuesday. Cloninger started and took the loss at Baltimore in Game 3 -- he was pulled in the sixth, and later that inning Dave McNally connected off reliever Wayne Granger to become the first pitcher to hit a grand slam in the World Series. July 24, 2018 He also was an accomplished batter with a .192 batting average, 11 home runs and 67 RBIs. Obituary Allen A. Cloninger, age 79, passed away peacefully into the arms of Jesus on the evening of Friday, September 23rd, 2022. The Red Sox on Saturday announced that they are sending along condolences for former player and player development consultant Tony Cloninger, who passed away on Tuesday. Many thanks to him. He was NEW YORK Lucie Brock-Broido, a prize-winning poet and educator, has died at age 61. from the SABR BioProject, More Tony Cloninger Pages at Baseball Reference. The 1966 season was not his best for the Braves as a pitcher he wound up with a record of 14-11, coming off a career-high 24-11 season the year before but it was his best at the plate. July 28, 2018. Cloninger died Tuesday. Tony 'The Rock Springs Rifle' Cloninger Autograph on a 1962 Topps Baseball Card (#63 | Checklist), Tony Cloninger Miscellaneous Items of Interest. [5][6][7], Cloninger died on July 24, 2018, in Denver, North Carolina at the age of 77.[8]. On April 12, 1966, Cloninger threw the first pitch for the new Atlanta franchise. Cloninger hit five of his 11 career home runs in 1966. His second grand slam came in the fourth inning on an 0-1 count, an opposite-field line-drive over the right-field fence off pitcher Ray Sadecki. Pitching coach Tony Cloninger of the Boston Red Sox walks off the field during the MLB game against the Seattle Mariners on Aug. 13, 2002 at Safeco Field in Seattle, Washington. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Try our free interactive obituary template. BOSTON -- Major League Baseball mourns the loss of Tony Cloninger, who passed away on Tuesday at the age of 77. Prepare a personalized obituary for someone you loved.. He earned four World Series rings in New York but was let go after the Yankees lost a seven-game World Series to the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001. We present them here for purely educational purposes. Then, after his major league career ended, Cloninger was a standout recreation softball player for the legendaryHoward's Furniture team in Denver before eventually returning to the major leagues as a pitching coach. Page 13. His 15-year professional career included 12 seasons in the Major Leagues, as he went 113-97 with a 4.07 ERA in 352 appearances (247 starts) for the Braves (1961-68), Cincinnati Reds (1968-71) and St. Louis Cardinals (1972). You can send your sympathy in the guestbook provided and share it with the family. Denver United Methodist Church Cemetery, Denver, NC, High School: Rock Springs HS (Denver, NC), Debut: Learn more here. Fiorentina captain Astori found dead aged 31 before match. Among Cloninger's teammates were softball Hall of Famers like Don Arndt, Roger Brown, Gene Fisher, Stave Harvey and RickScherr, local standouts like Butch Adams, Buck Buchanan, Dave Carroll and Johnny Colvard and eventual college basketballcoach Bobby Lutz, Jr. Cloninger later returned to baseball as a New York Yankees bullpen coach (1992-2001) with World Series titles in 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000 and as Boston Red Sox (2002-03) pitching coach. Do you have a sports website? Cloninger has a daughter, Meredith Sherrill, and three sons Tony Jr., Darin and Michael. Cloninger died Tuesday. To ease my mind, he said, he went raccoon hunting with his brother. She was predeceased by : her aunt Pearl Gardner; her sister-in-law Sally Cloninger; and her nephews . Cloninger finished up as a reliever with St. Louis in 1972. He drove in nine runs that day, in fact, getting three hits as the Braves routed San Francisco 17-3. Cloninger used a bat of teammate Denis Menke's to hit both of those big home runs, and they stood as the only two grand slams of his major league career. Cloninger hit five of his 11 career home runs in 1966. [1] Cloninger became the first player in the National League, and remains the only pitcher, to hit two grand slams in the same game. Light a candle Illuminate their memory Ann H. Cloninger Obituary We are sad to announce that on April 10, 2023 we had to say goodbye to Ann H. Cloninger (Lincolnton, North Carolina). ATLANTA Former U.S. Sen. Zell Miller, a lifelong Democrat and the father of Georgia's lottery-funded HOPE scholarship while serving as governor, died Friday. The Boston Red Sox announced his death on Saturday. We are sad to announce that on July 24, 2018 we had to say goodbye to Tony Lee Cloninger Sr. (Denver, North Carolina). Make a life-giving gesture. Funeral homes; Help and advice. Family and friends are welcome to leave their condolences on this memorial page and share them with the family. Do you have a blog? DENVER, N.C. - Former major league pitcher Tony Cloninger, perhaps best known for hitting two grand slams in a game, has died. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? DENVER, N.C. Former major league pitcher Tony Cloninger, perhaps best known for hitting two grand slams in a game, has died. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. / CBS Boston. It's also available for football, basketball and hockey. Copyright 1999- The Braves sent 52 batters to face Giants pitching. He attended Carter High School and was a loyal supporting member of the Carter community his whole life. Tips for navigating the funeral service and beyond, Consulting a professional can streamline your journey through grief, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, J.P. Richardson "The Big Bopper" and Roger Peterson, Making the holiday season bearable during grief. Cloninger was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 2004 (link), made that quote to them, believed that the game affected his career negatively, but still had good memories as well, "I look back now and think about all the great players who were my teammates Eddie Mathews, Hank Aaron, Warren Spahn, Joe Torre, Pete Rose, Johnny Bench. On April 12, 1966, Cloninger threw the first pitch for the new Atlanta franchise. Mr. Tony Lee Cloninger, Sr., age 77, of Denver, passed away on Tuesday, July 24, 2018. February 1966. Family and friends can send flowers and condolences in memory of the loved one. Exactly 24 years ago as he sat there Thursday afternoon wrapped in a New York Yankees warmup jacket, Cloninger had pitched the opener for the Braves in the first-ever regular-season game in . ), First published on July 28, 2018 / 10:59 PM. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher from 1961 through 1972 for the Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds and the St. Louis Cardinals . In 2002, he became the pitching coach for the Boston Red Sox, but was forced to step down in early 2003 when he underwent successful treatment for bladder cancer that had been diagnosed in spring training. Ray was born to the late Donald and Emma (Jackson) Cloninger. The Red Sox on Saturday announced that they are sending along condolences for former player and player development consultant Tony Cloninger, who passed away on Tuesday. He played four seasons in Cincinnati and finished up his career as a reliever with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1972. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Create an obituary. He was a star player for Rock Springs High School in Denver, about 25 miles north of Charlotte, pitching two no-hitters in his senior year, one of them a perfect game. Cloninger recovered and returned to the Red Sox, first as a senior pitching adviser in 2004 and then spending the next 14 seasons as a player development consultant. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. No cause was given. He's not a finesse man yet. Born: update=copyright.getFullYear(); document.write(update); It was later that season, with a bat, that Cloninger put himself into the record book. His funeral service will be held at 11:00 am on Monday, July 30, 2018 at Denver United Methodist Church. Richard Walker: 704-869-1841; twitter.com/jrwalk22, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Tony Cloninger hoisted an armload of bats in 1966 after pitching the Atlanta Braves to a 17-3 victory over the San Francisco Giants and entering the record books as the only pitcher ever to hit two grand slams in a game. After eight years with the Braves he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds during the 1968 season. Born in 1940 in Cherryville, Cloninger led Rock Springs to back-to-back Catawba-Lincoln baseball titles in 1957 and1958 with a combined pitching record of 13-4 and to the school's first-ever appearance in the state's eight-team basketball championship tournament in 1958. Waiting for the deal to go through was nerve wracking, he told United Press International. Did you know that the National Baseball Hall of Fame has a Denis Menke bat (pictured below) from the historic game because Tony borrowed his bat that day? 1? He's also survived by nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
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