2015

Anthony Michael Varvaro was born in Staten Island, N.Y., on October 31, 1984. He started his baseball career with the West Shore Little League on Staten Island, as a catcher. Both he and his older brother Torrence were talented athletes. Torrence received a scholarship to play football at Southern Connecticut State University, and Anthony eventually moved from behind the plate to the pitcher’s mound, where his greatest successes in baseball would come. As a student athlete at Curtis High School, he was named to the Staten Island Advance All-Staten Island team three times. He threw a 15-strikeout no-hitter over the heavily favored Lehman in the 2001 postseason, and his pitching helped turn the school from an underdog to something of a powerhouse. It also overshadowed the fact that he was a .400 hitter, too.

Rather than seek out a pro contract as a high school senior, Anthony signed a letter of intent to attend St. Johns University. He pursued a criminal justice degree and also made his mark with the Red Storm baseball team. St. Johns advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2004 and 2005, and Varvaro’s pitching was a big part of the team’s success. Among the accolades Varvaro earned that year were the All-Big East First Team and Collegiate Baseball All-America honors.

Anthony was projected as a Second Round draft pick in the 2005 Amateur Draft. However, the pitcher suffered an arm injury shortly before the draft and would require Tommy John Surgery. That disclosure caused him to slip to the 12th Round, where he was picked by the Seattle Mariners. After rehabbing from the surgery, Anthony joined the Mariners’ Rookie League team in Arizona for a few short appearances in 2006. He wasn’t able to pitch a full schedule until 2007, when he became a starter for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers of the Midwest League.

The decision to convert Anthony into a full-time reliever came in 2009, and it likely saved his career. He made 44 appearances between High-A High Desert and Double-A West Tennessee and saved 12 games. Most of the action came at West Tennessee and was named to the Southern League All-Star Team.

Anthony reached Triple-A Tacoma in July of 2010. After the Pacific Coast League’s season had finished, the Mariners promoted him to the majors. He debuted with a scoreless inning against the Tampa Bay Rays on September 24th.

The Mariners put Anthony on waivers in early 2011, and he was claimed by the Atlanta Braves. He began the season with the Triple-A Gwinnett Braves and appeared in 38 games as a middle reliever. He had several stints with the Braves, starting with a promotion in late July. Varvano made the Braves Opening Day roster in 2013, and he was given plenty of work when the bullpen experienced significant injuries.

After the 2014 season, the Braves designated Anthony for assignment. There was no chance that he would pass through the waiver process without going unclaimed, so the Braves traded him to the Red Sox.

The Red Sox loved his success rate against lefties and his high ground ball rate — 49% in 2014. His early games indicated that he would continue his fine work. He had a 1.17 ERA until he took the loss in a game against the Rays by allowing a run in 1/3 of an inning. A couple of other shaky performances sent his ERA upward to 4.09. The Red Sox designated him for assignment, and he was claimed by the Chicago Cubs. He never played a game for the Cubs, and when the team detected medical problems with Varvaro’s arm, the waiver claim was voided, and the pitcher was returned to the Red Sox. Anthony was placed on the disabled list, underwent another elbow surgery and never pitched again in the major leagues.

Varvaro reported to the Red Sox training camp in February 2016 and began the season with the Pawtucket Red Sox of the Triple-A International League. Through 18 games, he won 3 games, lost 2 and recorded a save, to go with a 2.83 ERA. Though he was pitching well, he decided to retire from baseball in June in favor of a dramatic career change.

Anthony was one of 79 graduates of the Port Authority Police Academy in December of 2016. The PAPD patrols New York’s airports, tunnels, bridges, mass transit system and the Port of New York and New Jersey. Anthony also chose to give back to baseball by becoming the president of the Snug Harbor Little League in Staten Island.

Anthony Varvaro was killed in a wrong-way New Jersey Turnpike crash while he to the 9/11 memorial ceremony at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2022.