Ralph Citarella
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Ralph Alexander Citarella (born February 7, 1958 in East Orange, New Jersey) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. The right-hander was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1st round (12th pick) of the 1979 amateur draft (Secondary Phase), and he played for the Cardinals (1983-1984) and Chicago White Sox (1987).
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 (a double to Johnny Ray) 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.
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. (28 strikeouts and 14 walks)
