Frank Bertaina

Frank Louis Bertaina (April 14, 1944 – March 3, 2010) was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from through for the Baltimore Orioles (1964–67, 1969), Washington Senators (1967–69), and St. Louis Cardinals. Listed at tall and , Bertaina batted and threw left-handed.

Early life Bertaina was born on April 14, 1944, in San Francisco. He attended Sacred Heart Catholic Preparatory School, which won baseball championships in 1960 and 1961. As a junior (1960) he was Player of the Year, and as a senior (1961) he led the team with league records in pitching with a 10–0 win–loss record, and an 0.27 earned run average (ERA). He also led the team in hitting, with a .451 batting average. During his high school career he had an 18-strikeout game and a no-hitter. He has been inducted into Sacred Heart's Athletic Hall of Fame, as have the 1960 and 1961 teams he led to championships.

His manager that season was Earl Weaver, who would go on to become a Hall of Fame manager for the Orioles. Weaver helped Bertaina improve his pitching knowledge and ability. On September 12, he one-hit the Kansas City Athletics, winning 1-0, while opposing losing pitcher Bob Meyer allowed the Orioles just one hit as well. This was the fourth double one-hitter pitched in the modern era (since 1901) in MLB history and to date, the most recent.

He pitched in a total of six games for the Orioles in 1964, and only two games for them in 1965. In 1966, the year the Orioles won the World Series, Bertaina pitched in 16 games, with a 2–5 record and 3.13 ERA. He did not pitch in the World Series.

He started two of five games and was 1–1 with a 3.32 ERA before being traded along with Mike Epstein from the Orioles to the Washington Senators for Pete Richert on 29 May 1967. Bertaina started 17 games for the Senators, finishing with a 6–5 record and 2.92 ERA for Washington.

He pitched a full season for the Senators in 1968, with a 7–13 record and 4.66 ERA, and 23 starts. In 1969, he was pitching less for the Senators, mostly as a relief pitcher, when he was traded back to the Orioles on June 16, 1969 for Paul Campbell. The 1969 Orioles had superb starting and relief pitching, and Bertaina only pitched 6 innings for the team. He played the majority of his games that year with Rochester. topped the International League in strikeouts (188) with the Rochester Red Wings in 1965, and won the International League winning percentage title (.800) with the 1970 Red Wings. He was inducted into the Red Wings Hall of Fame in 2005.

Personal life Bertaina co-founded Fishing International, one of the first travel agencies in the world dedicated to those who enjoyed fishing. He also co-owned and operated Lava Creek Lodge in Fall River Mills, California for many years.

Death Bertaina died at age 65 in Santa Rosa, California on 3 March 2010 following complications from a heart attack.