Benny Zientara

Benedict Joseph Zientara (February 14, 1918 – April 16, 1985) was a professional baseball infielder. He played all or part of four seasons in Major League Baseball (1941, 1946–48), playing mainly as a second baseman for the Cincinnati Reds. Listed at 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m), 165 lb., he batted and threw right-handed.

A native of Chicago, Zientara was one of many major leaguers who saw his baseball career interrupted by a military stint during World War II. In parts of four seasons, he was a .254 hitter (230-for-906) with two home runs and 49 RBI in 278 games, including 106 runs, 29 doubles, five triples, and five stolen bases.

In 1958, Zientara was manager for the minor league team the Olean Oilers. The Oilers played their home games at Bradner Stadium located in Olean, New York. Zientara led the team in its last year affiliated with the Philadelphia Phillies and playing in the New York–Pennsylvania League. Zientara took the Oilers on a wild season, landing them in the playoffs. The team lost in the first round.

Zientara died in 1985 in Lake Elsinore, California, at the age of 67. He was buried at the Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, California.

References

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• Retrosheet
• Baseball in Wartime

External links

• Benedict J. "Benny" Zientara at Find a Grave
• "Benny" Zientara-stats and picture

This article is based on the "Olean Oilers" article at Baseball-Reference.com Bullpen. The Bullpen is a wiki, and its content is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.