Ralph Citarella
Ralph Alexander Citarella is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. The right-hander was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1st round of the 1979 amateur draft, and he played for the Cardinals and Chicago White Sox.
On September 13, 1983 Citarella made his major league debut in relief at Three Rivers Stadium. He struck out the first batter he faced, catcher Tony Peña, in the 7th inning. In 1.2 innings that night he gave up one hit and one earned run, and the Cards lost, 6-0.
Citarella was successful in his two short stints with St. Louis, posting ERAs of 1.64 and 3.63, but didn't fare as well with the White Sox in 1987. In five appearances, he gave up nine earned runs in eleven innings, including four home runs. He retired in 1988 due to being bounced around in the minors.
In three seasons he appeared in a total of 21 games and had a 0-1 record, 2 starts, 0 complete games, and 6 games finished. In 44.1 innings pitched he gave up 20 earned runs for an ERA of 4.06, and had a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2-to-1.
In 2006, Ralph Citarella became the Athletic Relations Liaison for the Habana Joe Trading Company, for its Dock to Dine Men's clothing line. From 2012 to 2013, Citarella served as the pitching coach for the New Jersey based Newark Bears of the independent Can-Am League.
