Vic Raschi, one of baseball’s all-time great pitchers with the New York Yankees, was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. He is remembered by many as the “Springfield Rifle” and by countless thousands of others as one of the top clutch pitchers in his or any other major league era.
Enrolling at the College of William and Mary in 1938, Raschi starred with the Tribe Mound Corps as a freshman. In 1941 and as a yearling, he played basketball before the Yankees recognized his potential and discouraged competition in any other varsity sports.
During his William & Mary stints, Raschi won All-State honors and as far as can be determined, was never beaten by any of the Indians’ in-state rivals, though he once hurled 11 innings in a game W&M lost in 13.
Except for his 1938-39 and 1940-41 years on campus, Raschi kept returning to Williamsburg in the off-seasons for his academic work and thereby earned his Bachelor’s degree in Science after 11 years.
Vic Raschi, who didn’t reach his prime until he was 28, came up to the Yanks to stay for seven straight campaigns after the 1946 season. During his career, including 30 games with St. Louis of the National League in 1954, Raschi compiled a record of 132 victories and 66 losses. In his first five Yankee years, the W&M graduate won 98 against 42 losses, including three consecutive 21-victory years (1949-50-51). His lifetime marks included 905 strikeouts, 691 base on balls, and an earned run average of .360.