Richard Paul Bottalico

B: Aug 26, 1969, New Britain, CT

At the peak of his career, Ricky threw consistently in the high 90’s and had an effective hard curveball. As the Phillies closer in 1996, he was the teams only All-Star in that years game, which was played in Philadelphia. He finished with 34 saves in both 1996 and 1997. After elbow surgery in 1998, Bottalico never regained top form. He was traded several times, playing for the St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals, Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Mets, and Milwaukee Brewers, even returning for a stint with the Phillies, before retiring to become a commentator on Phillies television.