Career
He is in a group of nearly 1500 players who have appeared in exactly one Major League game. At the time of his death, he was the oldest of those one-game players. Palagyi was one of ten children born to Joseph and Anna Palagyi.
Mikes Sisters included Anna Yosko, Ethel (Frank) Vento, and Helen who died at birth and twin to brother Andrew.
Mike was not the only member to play professional baseball in the family. They had one child Michael, who died in a plan crash in the 1970s.
Mike was a devote catholic and belonged to Corpus Christi Parish in Conneaut. Standing 6 feet 2 inches (188 m) and weighing 185 pounds (84 kg), Palagyi made his major league pitching debut August 18, 1939 for the Washington Senators as a relief pitcher in a game against the Boston Red Sox.
During the game, he faced three future Hall of Fame members: Ted Williams, Joe Cronin and Jimmy Foxx.
He hit Foxx with a pitch and walked Williams, Cronin and a fourth batter (Doc Cramer). Three of those runners would score. The Senators would change pitchers before Palagyi was able to retire a batter.
The Senators would lose the game, but Palagyi did not receive cr for the loss in that game.
He would never play in another major league game. In an interview for Richard Tellis"s book, Once Around the Bases, Palagyi said that he "threw but 2 strikes out of 15 pitches — a very short big league career".
After leaving baseball, Palagyi served during World World War World War II Palagyi lived in Conneaut until his death in 2013. Since Palagyi allowed three earned runs without retiring a batter, his career earned run average (European Research Area) is infinite.
He is one of at least 19 pitchers with an infinite European Research Area. Palagyi and Mark Wagner are the only major-league players born in Conneaut.
Both players pitched in exactly one game in relief. Wagner, however, appeared in other games as a shortstop.
