Frank Viola Stats

Frank Viola was born on Tuesday, April 19, 1960, in Hempstead, New York. Viola was 22 years old when he broke into the big leagues on June 6, 1982, with the Minnesota Twins. His biographical data, year-by-year hitting stats, fielding stats, pitching stats (where applicable), career totals, uniform numbers, salary data and miscellaneous items-of-interest are presented by Baseball Almanac on this comprehensive Frank Viola baseball stats page.

Baseball Almanac Top Quote

"During the late '80s, there was no more effective southpaw in the American League than Frank Viola, ace of the 1987 world-champion Minnesota Twins and Cy Young winner during the Twins' title-defense season of 1988. And in a short two-year-plus stopover with the Mets, Viola would continue his magic, if only briefly, in the senior circuit with his only other 20-win campaign (20-12 in 1990) and the NL lead in innings pitched (249.2)." - Bjarkman, Peter C. Author. The New York Mets Encyclopedia: 3rd Edition. Sports Publishing. 4 June 2013. Page 294.

Frank Viola

Frank 'Sweet Music' Viola Autograph on a 1987 Topps Baseball Card (#310)

Frank 'Sweet Music' Viola Autograph on a 1987 Topps Baseball Card (#310)

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Birth Name:   Frank John Viola (Twitter: @FrankViola16)
Nickname:   Sweet Music
Born On:   04-19-1960  (Aries)
Place of Birth Data Born In:   Hempstead, New York
Year of Death Data Died On:   Still Living (500 Oldest Living)
Place of Death Data Died In:   Still Living
Cemetery:   n/a
High School:   East Meadow High School (East Meadow, NY)
College:   St. John's University
Batting Stances Chart Bats:   Left   Throwing Arms Chart Throws:   Left
Player Height Chart Height:   6-04   Player Weight Chart Weight:   209
First Game:   06-06-1982 (Age 22)
Last Game:   05-28-1996
Draft:   1981 : 2nd Round (37th)

Frank Viola

Frank Viola Pitching Stats

1982 22 Twins 22 22 0 4 10 .286 5.21 3 1 0 126.0 543 152 73 77 22 38 2 84 4 0 1 0
1983 23 Twins 35 34 0 7 15 .318 5.49 4 0 0 210.0 949 242 128 141 34 92 7 127 6 8 2 -
1984 24 Twins 35 35 0 18 12 .600 3.21 10 4 0 257.2 1,047 225 92 101 28 73 1 149 6 4 1 0
1985 25 Twins 36 36 0 18 14 .563 4.09 9 0 0 250.2 1,059 262 114 136 26 68 3 135 6 2 2 0
1986 26 Twins 37 37 0 16 13 .552 4.51 7 1 0 245.2 1,053 257 123 136 37 83 0 191 12 3 0 0
1987 27 Twins 36 36 0 17 10 .630 2.90 7 1 0 251.2 1,037 230 81 91 29 66 1 197 1 6 1 0
1988 28 Twins 35 35 0 24 7 .774 2.64 7 2 0 255.1 1,031 236 75 80 20 54 2 193 5 3 1 0
1989 29 Twins 24 24 0 8 12 .400 3.79 7 1 0 175.2 731 171 74 80 17 47 1 138 5 3 1 0
1989 29 Mets 12 12 0 5 5 .500 3.38 2 1 0 85.1 351 75 32 35 5 27 3 73 3 1 0 0
1990 30 Mets 35 35 0 20 12 .625 2.67 7 3 0 249.2 1,016 227 74 83 15 60 2 182 11 2 0 0
1991 31 Mets 35 35 0 13 15 .464 3.97 3 0 0 231.1 980 259 102 112 25 54 4 132 6 1 1 0
1992 32 Red Sox 35 35 0 13 12 .520 3.44 6 1 0 238.0 999 214 91 99 13 89 4 121 12 7 2 0
1993 33 Red Sox 29 29 0 11 8 .579 3.14 2 1 0 183.2 787 180 64 76 12 72 5 91 5 6 0 0
1994 34 Red Sox 6 6 0 1 1 .500 4.65 0 0 0 31.0 136 34 16 17 2 17 0 9 2 0 0 0
1995 35 Reds 3 3 0 0 1 .000 6.28 0 0 0 14.1 64 20 10 11 3 3 1 4 1 0 0 0
1996 36 Blue Jays 6 6 0 1 3 .250 7.71 0 0 0 30.1 150 43 26 28 6 21 3 18 1 2 0 0
15 Years 421 420 0 176 150 .540 3.73 74 16 0 2,836.1 11,933 2,827 1,175 1,303 294 864 39 1,844 86 48 12 0

Frank Viola

Frank Viola Hitting Stats

1982 22 Twins 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
1983 23 Twins 35 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
1984 24 Twins 35 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
1985 25 Twins 36 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
1986 26 Twins 37 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
1987 27 Twins 36 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
1988 28 Twins 35 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
1989 29 Twins 24 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
1989 29 Mets 12 23 2 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 7 5 0 0 0 .130 .167 .130
1990 30 Mets 35 85 4 13 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 20 7 0 0 1 .153 .153 .153
1991 31 Mets 35 71 2 9 2 0 0 0 1 2 0 13 10 0 0 1 .127 .151 .155
1992 32 Red Sox 35 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
1993 33 Red Sox 29 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
1994 34 Red Sox 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
1995 35 Reds 3 6 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 .167 .167 .333
1996 36 Blue Jays 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
15 Years 421 185 8 26 3 0 0 0 6 3 0 41 22 0 0 2 .141 .154 .157

Frank Viola

Frank Viola Fielding Stats

1982 Twins P 22 22 378 18 0.8 16 1 15 2 0 n/a n/a n/a .889 1.14
1983 Twins P 35 34 630 31 0.9 30 7 23 1 2 n/a n/a n/a .968 1.29
1984 Twins P 35 35 773 33 0.9 32 6 26 1 1 n/a n/a n/a .970 1.12
1985 Twins P 36 36 752 44 1.2 39 6 33 5 0 n/a n/a n/a .886 1.40
1986 Twins P 37 37 737 32 0.9 29 8 21 3 1 n/a n/a n/a .906 1.06
1987 Twins P 36 36 755 43 1.2 40 6 34 3 1 n/a n/a n/a .930 1.43
1988 Twins P 35 35 766 37 1.1 35 5 30 2 1 n/a n/a n/a .946 1.23
1989 Twins P 24 24 527 36 1.5 33 7 26 3 1 n/a n/a n/a .917 1.69
1989 Mets P 12 12 256 13 1.1 12 3 9 1 2 n/a n/a n/a .923 1.27
1990 Mets P 35 35 749 46 1.3 45 11 34 1 1 n/a n/a n/a .978 1.62
1991 Mets P 35 35 694 44 1.3 40 6 34 4 1 n/a n/a n/a .909 1.56
1992 Red Sox P 35 35 714 55 1.6 53 6 47 2 6 n/a n/a n/a .964 2.00
1993 Red Sox P 29 29 551 45 1.6 41 10 31 4 1 n/a n/a n/a .911 2.01
1994 Red Sox P 6 6 93 4 0.7 4 0 4 0 1 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 1.16
1995 Reds P 3 3 43 2 0.7 2 0 2 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 1.26
1996 Blue Jays P 6 6 91 4 0.7 4 2 2 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 1.19
P Totals 421 420 8,509 487 1.2 455 84 371 32 19 n/a n/a n/a .934 1.44
15 Years 421 420 8,509 487 1.2 455 84 371 32 19 n/a n/a n/a .934 1.44

Frank Viola

Frank Viola Miscellaneous Stats

1982 Twins 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.21 6.00 2.71
1983 Twins 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.38 5.44 3.94
1984 Twins 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.04 5.20 2.55
1985 Twins 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.99 4.85 2.44
1986 Twins 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.30 7.00 3.04
1987 Twins 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.98 7.05 2.36
1988 Twins 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 3.57 6.80 1.90
1989 Twins 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.94 7.07 2.41
1989 Mets 0 0 .000 0 0 n/a 0.0 3.3 23.0 2.70 7.70 2.85
1990 Mets 0 0 .000 0 0 n/a 0.0 4.3 21.3 3.03 6.56 2.16
1991 Mets 0 0 .000 0 0 n/a 0.0 5.5 71.0 2.44 5.14 2.10
1992 Red Sox 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.36 4.58 3.37
1993 Red Sox 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.26 4.46 3.53
1994 Red Sox 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.53 2.61 4.94
1995 Reds 0 0 .000 0 0 n/a 0.0 6.0 0.0 1.33 2.51 1.88
1996 Blue Jays 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.86 5.34 6.23
15 Years 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0.0 4.5 30.8 2.13 5.85 2.74

Frank Viola

Frank Viola Miscellaneous Items of Interest

1982 Minnesota Twins 16 $33,500.00 - -
1983 Minnesota Twins 16 $36,200.00 - -
1984 Minnesota Twins 16 $44,800.00 - -
1985 Minnesota Twins 16 $375,000.00 - -
1986 Minnesota Twins 16 $674,000.00 - -
1987 Minnesota Twins 16 $830,000.00 - Stats
1988 Minnesota Twins 16 $1,350,000.00 Stats -
1989 Minnesota Twins 16 $2,766,666.00 - -
1989 New York Mets 26 "     "     - -
1990 New York Mets 29 $1,966,667.00 Stats -
1991 New York Mets 29 $3,166,667.00 Stats -
1992 Boston Red Sox 16 $4,833,333.00 - -
1993 Boston Red Sox 16 $4,833,333.00 - -
1994 Boston Red Sox 16 $4,333,334.00 - n/a
1995 Cincinnati Reds 44 $190,000.00 - -
1996 Toronto Blue Jays 19 $185,000.00 - -

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Frank John Viola was a Major League Baseball player who pitched for the Minnesota Twins (1982-1989), New York Mets (1989-1991), Boston Red Sox (1992-1994), Cincinnati Reds (1995), and Toronto Blue Jays (1996). Did you know that Viola, after the 1987 Minnesota Twins won the 1987 World Series, was the first Major League Baseball player to utter the advertising expression, "I'm going to Disney World"?

FRANK VIOLA ROOKIE CARD

Frank Viola Rookie Card | 1983 Topps Baseball Card (#586 | Checklist)
Baseball Almanac Research Library

I'm going to Disney World!

Walt Disney World Chief Executive Officer Michael Eisner credited his wife Jane in his 1998 memoir Work Progress, with the idea for the advertising campaign. According to Eisner, during the January 1987 grand opening for the Star Tours attraction at Disneyland, the couple dined with Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, who in December 1986 had piloted the first aircraft to fly around the world without stopping or refueling. After Jane Eisner asked what the pilots planned to do after dinner, they replied, "Well, we're going to Disneyland." She later told her husband the phrase would make a great advertising campaign.

A few weeks later, Disney launched the "I'm going to Disney World!" following Super Bowl XXI on January 25, 1987 with a commercial featuring New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms. Simms was paid a reported $75,000 for his participation.

Disney aired three more ads that year with other athletes following major sports championships: Dennis Conner (Stars & Stripes, America's Cup), Magic Johnson (Los Angeles Lakers, NBA Finals) and Frank Viola.



View the Disney Sports News Historical Press Release
Baseball Almanac Research Library

In 1970, Jim Perry went 24-12 with a 3.03 ERA, winning the Cy Young Award, the first instance by a Minnesota Twins pitcher (including their time in Washington). Eighteen years later, Frank Viola went 24-7 with a 2.64 ERA, winning the Cy Young Award, the first instance by a left-handed Minnesota Twins pitcher.

In 1987, Frank Viola started three games during the 1987 World Series, won two, and struck out sixteen hitters. During Game 7, Sweet Music pitched 8 frames, had seven strikeouts, no walks, and surrendered only two runs, becoming the first Twins player in franchise history to win a World Series Most Valuable Player Award!

Frank Viola was on the mound August 4, 1985, when Rod Carew strode to the plate in the third inning and hit a "I'm in the 3,000 Hits Club" single off Sweet Music. Frank Viola did not ever surrender a grand slam to Carew, but he did to Greg Luzinski (June 8, 1984), Joe Carter (June 20, 1986), Jim Rice (September 5, 1986), Danny Tartabull (October 2, 1987), Steve Balboni (April 14, 1989), Hubie Brooks (September 23, 1989), Garry Templeton (May 18, 1990), Dickie Thon (July 23, 1990), and Harold Baines (July 30, 1993) - nine career grand slams allowed, second most in baseball history (behind Mike Jackson and Nolan Ryan, each has allowed ten slams).