CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ On Sept. 3, 1941, Fred Caligiuri sat alone in the Philadelphia Athletics' dugout, ahead of a road game against the Washington Senators.
He was 22 years old, ecstatic about his Major League Baseball call-up and the crisp uniform that came with it.
He'd recently pitched twice for the Class B Wilmington (Del.) Blue Rocks in a playoff, so he didn't know when he'd pitch again. But the answer would come quickly.
"That first game, I come out dressed up in that suit," he said. "I thought I was really something. Here comes a guy down the walk _ a big tall fella, with a little hat on. It was Connie Mack, the first time I've ever seen him. He got by me, threw me a ball and said, 'You're pitching today.' "
Caligiuri didn't mention those two playoff games to Mack, a future Hall of Fame manager. Instead, he made his major-league debut, pitching eight innings and hitting a triple in a 9-8 loss.
Today, Caligiuri lives in a Charlotte assisted living community, and he has reached another milestone.
On May 28, with the death of former St. Louis Browns first baseman Chuck Stevens, Caligiuri became the oldest living former MLB player. He is 99 years old, with his 100th birthday coming up on Oct. 22.
He wears glasses, a white polo shirt neatly tucked into khakis and a pair of Reebok Classics.
He remembers a lot _ from working his way up from the minors to the Athletics to that first meeting with Mack, to pitching against Ted Williams. And so much more.
"Well," he said, "where do you want me to start?"
