Al Silvera

Aaron Albert Silvera (August 26, 1935 – July 24, 2002) was an American professional baseball player, an outfielder who played parts of two seasons for the Cincinnati Redlegs of Major League Baseball in 1955–1956. He threw and batted right-handed, stood 6 feet (1.8 m) tall and weighed 180 pounds (82 kg). Silvera was of Jewish and Italian decent on his paternal side and of Jewish and Haitian decent on his maternal side. He was the nephew of former Major League pitcher "Subway Sam" Nahem.

A native of San Diego, California, Silvera attended Fairfax High School in Los Angeles and the University of Southern California. He signed a bonus contract with the Redlegs as a 19-year-old in 1955 and was placed on Cincinnati's Major League roster per the bonus rule of the time. He made his MLB debut as a defensive replacement for leftfielder Ray Jablonski in a 12–8 road loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on June 12.^[1] After pinch running in his second MLB game (for slow-footed catcher Smoky Burgess), Silvera finally had his first National League at bat as a pinch hitter for Roy McMillan in a 16–5 rout of the Phillies at Crosley Field June 26. His single to right field scored Rocky Bridges and Burgess.^[1] It would be his only MLB hit, driving home his two career runs batted in.

Silvera appeared in ten more Cincinnati games in 1955, and one in 1956 (as a pinch runner). In addition to his one hit in seven at bats and two RBI, he scored three runs. The Redlegs released him in May 1956, and he played minor league baseball through 1958 before leaving the game.^[2]

A resident of Beverly Hills, California, Silvera died in Los Angeles at age 66.

References

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
• Al Silvera profile on Jewsinsports.com