John Orsino, major-league baseball player, dies at 78

November 5, 2016 at 6:11 p.m. EDT

John Orsino, one of the San Francisco players who hit a record-tying five home runs in a 12-run ninth inning of a 1961 game at Cincinnati, died Nov. 1 in Sunny Isles Beach, Fla. He was 78.

His wife, Honey Orsino, confirmed the death. The cause was not disclosed.

Mr. Orsino, a catcher and first baseman, spent seven seasons in the major leagues, playing with the Giants (1961-62), Baltimore (1963-65) and Washington (1966-67). He hit .249 with 40 home runs and 123 RBIs.

His best season was 1963, when he homered in his first five spring-training games with the Orioles and went on to bat .272 with 19 home runs and 56 RBIs.

He was part of the Giants’ home run barrage in a 14-0 win at Cincinnati’s Crosley Field on Aug. 23, 1961. Orlando Cepeda and Felipe Alou hit consecutive home runs, Jim Davenport had an inside-the-park homer, Willie Mays went deep and Mr. Orsino capped the burst with a three-run homer.

Mr. Orsino, who was born in Fort Lee, N.J., was the baseball coach at Fairleigh Dickinson University from 1970 to 1976 and later became a golf pro in New Jersey and Florida. He was the men’s golf coach at Florida Atlantic University from 2004 to 2006.

Survivors include his wife and two children from an earlier marriage.

— Associated Press

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