John Paciorek

John Francis Paciorek (; born February 11, 1945) is an American former professional baseball player. He attended high school in Michigan, and was signed by the Houston Colt .45s while playing for the school's baseball team. After a season in the minor leagues, he was promoted to the Colt .45's active roster, and played in one game at the end of the 1963 Houston Colt .45s season. In that game, he had three hits and two walks. However, injuries cut his career short; he missed most of 1964 and 1965 due to surgery, and retired after playing parts of four more seasons in the minors. He returned to school, graduated from the University of Houston, and became a physical education teacher after retiring.

Paciorek is rare among Major League Baseball players in having a perfect batting average of 1.000. He is the only player to achieve this distinction with more than two at bats. His two brothers, Jim Paciorek and Tom Paciorek, also played in the major leagues.

Early life Paciorek was born in Detroit on February 11, 1945. His father was a factory worker in Plymouth, Michigan. He was the oldest of eight children; two of his brothers, Tom and Jim, went on to have MLB careers as well. He attended St. Ladislaus High School in Hamtramck, Michigan, and was named to the varsity baseball team as a freshman. During his high school career, he focused on strength building to achieve his dream of being a baseball player. By the time he graduated, he had gone from to , and was an all-state three-sport star in baseball, football, and basketball. Paciorek also played on Detroit's team in the National Amateur Baseball Federation; he was named most valuable player during the annual tournament in 1962. While he was still in high school, Houston general manager Paul Richards convinced Paciorek to sign with the Colt .45s; the two agreed to a $45,000 contract.

Baseball career In late 1962, Paciorek attended an instructional league put on by Houston, which led to him becoming part of the team's spring training roster as one of 63 invited players. During exhibition play, he "hit everything in sight", and had a batting average of over .300. After spring training ended, he began his professional career with the Modesto Colts of the California League and played in 78 games for the team with a .219 batting average and 15 doubles. Late in the season, he injured his back and shoulder; he was diagnosed with a sciatic nerve injury, and was told to rest. In total, he went to the plate five times and hit three singles and had two walks, scoring four runs en route to a 13–4 Houston victory over the New York Mets.

Thanks in part to his performance in the final game of Houston's season, Paciorek was invited to spring training for Houston in 1964. His performances included a bases-loaded triple against the Mets. However, his poor play on both offense and defense late in spring training led to him being cut despite being nearly a lock to make the roster. He spent part of the year on the Durham Bulls and Statesville Colts, where he had a .135 batting average in 49 combined games. and his sons, Pete and Mack, had minor league careers as well.