For his son, the American baseball pitcher, see Frank Viola III. For the American writer, see Frank Viola (author).
Baseball player
Frank Viola
Viola (left) at the White House in 1987
High Point Rockers
Pitcher / Coach
Born: (1960-04-19) April 19, 1960 (age 64) East Meadow, New York, U.S.
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
MLB debut
June 6, 1982, for the Minnesota Twins
Last MLB appearance
May 28, 1996, for the Toronto Blue Jays
MLB statistics
Win–loss record
176–150
Earned run average
3.73
Strikeouts
1,844
Teams
Minnesota Twins (1982–1989)
New York Mets (1989–1991)
Boston Red Sox (1992–1994)
Cincinnati Reds (1995)
Toronto Blue Jays (1996)
Career highlights and awards
3× All-Star (1988, 1990, 1991)
World Series champion (1987)
AL Cy Young Award (1988)
World Series MVP (1987)
MLB wins leader (1988)
Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame
Frank John Viola Jr. (born April 19, 1960) is an American former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Minnesota Twins (1982–1989), New York Mets (1989–1991), Boston Red Sox (1992–1994), Cincinnati Reds (1995), and Toronto Blue Jays (1996). A three-time All-Star, he was named World Series MVP with the Twins in 1987 and won the AL Cy Young Award in 1988. He is the pitching coach of the High Point Rockers.
He batted and threw left-handed, and he was nicknamed "Sweet Music" – a nickname he picked up after a Minnesota sports writer declared that when Viola pitched, there was "Sweet Music" in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. The nickname was a play on the fact that his last name is also a name of a musical instrument, although pronounced differently. A fan began displaying a banner bearing the phrase in the outfield's upper deck whenever Viola pitched. Twins fans considered the banner to be a good luck charm. The banner is now the property of the Minnesota Historical Society. It was again displayed when Viola was inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame. He was honored as a member of the Twins' "All Dome" team in 2009.
Frank John Viola Jr. (born April 19, 1960) is an American former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Minnesota Twins (1982–1989)...
Frank John Viola III (born June 19, 1984) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is retired. He played for the Chicago White Sox Organization...
since last winning as the Washington Senators in 1924. Twins pitcher FrankViola was named as the 1987 World Series MVP. It was the first World Series...
Point Rockers announced Jamie Keefe as the team's first manager and FrankViola as the Rockers' first pitching coach. On April 1, 2019, the team revealed...
early 1990s under manager Tom Kelly, led by Kent Hrbek, Bert Blyleven, FrankViola, and Kirby Puckett, winning the franchise's second and third World Series...
The viola (/viˈoʊlə/ vee-OH-lə, Italian: [ˈvjɔːla, viˈɔːla]) is a string instrument that is usually bowed. Slightly larger than a violin, it has a lower...
the 16th member of the 3,000 hit club with a single to left field off FrankViola. His 3,053 hits are 27th all time, and his career batting average of...
has had many notable managers and coaches, including Wally Backman, FrankViola, Tommy John, Sparky Lyle, and Bud Harrelson. The Northern League alumni...
Brittany Ann Viola (born April 19, 1987 in Minnesota) is an American platform diver formerly for the University of Miami. In 2008 and 2011, she won the...
Hammaker, 4-time All-Star Jimmy Key, John Olerud, Cy Young Award winner FrankViola and six-time Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner J.T. Snow, and several...
Zens, Watchman Nee, T. Austin-Sparks, Milt Rodriguez, Wolfgang Simson, FrankViola and others) consider the term "house church" to be a misnomer, asserting...
Church: An Extraordinary Guide to Understanding the New Testament by FrankViola,page 170: "... one of the Twelve, is beaten and crucified in Albanopolis...
Christianity Pagan Christianity, a non-fiction book by George Barna and FrankViola Christo-Paganism Christianity and neopaganism Christianity and paganism...
Manifesto: Restoring the Supremacy and Sovereignty of Jesus Christ (with FrankViola) (Thomas Nelson, 2010) (ISBN 978-0849946011) Nudge: Awakening Each Other...
truth". He also quoted the book Pagan Christianity by George Barna and FrankViola, noting that both "Protestant and Catholic denominations have poisonous...
July 1989 blockbuster trade that sent 1988 AL Cy Young Award winner FrankViola to the New York Mets in exchange for relief pitchers Rick Aguilera and...
future major-league All-Stars (and eventual teammates) Ron Darling and FrankViola in the 1981 NCAA baseball tournament, was called "perhaps the greatest...
including Dennis Eckersley, Nick Cafardo, Sean Casey, Dave Roberts and FrankViola. He was sometimes referred to by fans as "announcer boy," after he was...
the standings. October 25 – In Game Seven of the World Series, starter FrankViola and reliever Jeff Reardon hold the St. Louis Cardinals to six hits, as...
differentials for a World Series champion. The top three starting pitchers, FrankViola, Bert Blyleven, and Les Straker provided stability throughout the year...
(Tigers) 4–1 Won World Series (Cardinals) 4–3 † FrankViola (WS MVP) 1988 AL West 2nd 91 71 .562 13 FrankViola (CYA) 1989 AL West 5th 80 82 .494 19 1990 AL...
Wilson, and Wally Backman all played on the 1986 World Champion NY Mets. FrankViola, Edgardo Alfonzo, Royce Ring, Marlon Anderson & Endy Chavez played for...
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