The swarthy southpaw went 12-11 his rookie season with the Giants (1975), but lost to teammate John Montefusco in Rookie Pitcher of the Year voting. Traded to the Cardinals for Ken Reitz, Falcone repeated as a 12-game winner in 1976. After two losing seasons with the Mets (1979-80), he was moved out of the rotation. He signed as a free agent in 1983 with Atlanta, whose skipper was Joe Torre – fellow Brooklynite and Falcone’s manager in New York.
