Tony Malinosky, Brooklyn Dodger who was oldest living major league baseball player, dies at 101

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Tony Malinosky, 101, a former Brooklyn Dodger infielder who was baseball’s oldest living major leaguer, died Tuesday in Oxnard, the Dodgers announced.

Malinosky played 35 games for the Dodgers in 1937, batting .228, before a knee injury in July of that year effectively ended his baseball career. He later played in the minors but never made it back to the majors.

‘We had a lot of fun in those days,’ he told the Associated Press in 2009. ‘Of course, it was a lot different than today. The players nowadays have to have a truck to haul away their money. When I played, you could put it in your pocket.’

Malinosky served in the Army during World War II and later worked for an aircraft company.

Born Oct. 5, 1909, in Collinsville, Ill., Malinosky moved to El Monte when he was in high school and attended Whittier College with future President Richard Nixon.

Asked to explain his longevity in the 2009 interview, he said, ‘Just keep breathing -- and be associated with a good doctor.’

Connie Marrero, a Cuban pitcher for the Washington Senators who is nearing his 100th birthday on April 25, is now believed to be the oldest living former player from the majors.

-- Claire Noland