John August Antonelli[1] (April 12, 1930 – February 28, 2020) was an American professional baseball player, a left-handed starting pitcher who played for the Boston / Milwaukee Braves, New York / San Francisco Giants, and Cleveland Indians between 1948 and 1961.

Noted at the outset of his pro career as the recipient of the biggest bonus in baseball history when he signed with the Braves for $52,000 in 1948, he later became a six-time National League (NL) All-Star, a two-time 20-game-winner, and an important member of the 1954 World Series champion Giants' pitching staff.

Born in Rochester, New York, his hometown for most of his life, Antonelli was a sought-after pitcher for Jefferson High School.

He led the NL in shutouts again in 1959 and set a career-high with 282 innings pitched, but fans started booing him after he complained about the wind conditions at Seals Stadium.

He was slated to be one of the original New York Mets in 1962, but he retired instead, opting to return to Rochester and focus on his Firestone business, which he would run for 40 years.

Initially a first baseman for the school's baseball team, he was moved to the pitcher position by coach Charley O'Brien for his sophomore year.

[3] Gus was eager to promote his son, renting out Silver Stadium in Johnny's senior year so that scouts could come see him throw.

[3] Boston Braves scout Jeff Jones was so impressed, he got team president Lou Perini to come see the high school pitcher throw.

[2][3][4] Baseball rules of the time mandated that "bonus babies" (players making more than $4,000) be kept on major league rosters for at least two full seasons before they could be sent to the minors.

[5] Thus, Antonelli went from high school to the MLB Braves, a veteran team challenging for Boston's first National League pennant since 1914.

[1] On July 4, 1948, Antonelli made his major league debut in the first game of a doubleheader against the Philadelphia Phillies, entering in relief to pitch the eighth inning and allowing one run in a 7–2 loss.

His large bonus dwarfed the salaries of veteran Braves like ace starting pitcher Johnny Sain, causing some resentment among his teammates.

[8] He had a 3–2 win–loss record through June 19, but after losing five decisions in a row through August 3, Antonelli worked exclusively out of the bullpen for the remainder of the season.

Antonelli won three games, lost seven, posted a 3.56 earned run average (ERA), and struck out 48 hitters in 96 innings pitched.

[1] Before the 1950 season, Vince Johnson of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote that Antonelli was "the $75,000 bonus baby who hasn't been worth $7,500.

[14][15] His two years of service over, Antonelli rejoined the Braves—now based in Milwaukee—for 1953, where he was finally a regular member of the Braves' starting rotation.

[22] With fellow starters Sal Maglie and Rubén Gómez, Antonelli made starting pitching the Giants' strength.

[2] Antonelli, Maglie, and Gomez combined to win 52 games, complete 37 starts, and help the Giants pitchers post an ERA of 3.09, the lowest in the National League.

[2][27] Against the Cleveland Indians in the 1954 World Series, Antonelli started Game 2, pitching in and out of trouble all day but allowing one run and outpitching Hall of Famer Early Wynn to earn the victory in the Giants' 3–1 triumph.

"[3] In Game 4, he entered with one out and a runner on first in the eighth inning, then retired five of the six hitters he faced, earning a save in the 7–4 victory as the Giants pulled off a four-game sweep.

He stomped around on the mound, walked halfway to second base, then talked to Fitzsimmons for about two minutes before finally heading to the Giants dugout.

[1] Despite his 1955 performance, Antonelli saw his salary cut from $28,000 to $21,000 in 1956; the Giants said he needed to win 20 games to get it raised to its previous level.

[49] Late in 1957, Bill Rigney held him out of the rotation for a few days to ensure that Antonelli could start the Giants' final game at the Polo Grounds before moving to San Francisco.

[63] After giving up two home runs to the Dodgers on July 20, he was critical of Seals Stadium, where the Giants were playing while Candlestick Park was constructed.

Antonelli also ranked among the league leaders in wins (fourth, behind Jones's, Spahn's, and Burdette's 21), ERA (3.10, seventh), strikeouts (165, fourth, behind Don Drysdale's 242, Jones's 209, and Sandy Koufax's 173), and innings pitched (282, his career high, and the third-highest total in the league behind Spahn's 292 and Burdette's 289+2⁄3).

[73] In 20 games (seven starts) between Cleveland and Milwaukee, Antonelli had a 1–4 record, a 6.75 ERA, 31 strikeouts, 21 walks, and 84 hits allowed in 58+2⁄3 innings pitched.

[1] On October 11, his contract was sold again, this time to the expansion New York Mets, a deal that would have returned Antonelli to the ballpark (the Polo Grounds) and the city where he had experienced his greatest MLB success.

[3] The couple had four children: Lisa, Donna, Regina, and John Jr.[3] After Rosemarie died in 2002, Antonelli remarried to Gail Harms in 2006.

Antonelli, who had lived in Lexington, Massachusetts, during his time with the Braves, announced plans to move back to Rochester "in the very near future.

Over time, the business expanded to 28 locations in Monroe County as well as other parts of New York state, as Antonelli was the exclusive Firestone dealer for the area.