Eugene "Blockade Billy" Katsanis was a catcher for the New Jersey Titans in April and May of 1957.
As an infant, he was left on the steps of the Ottershaw Christian Home for Boys in a liquor box. He grew up at the orphanage, being bullied by the older boys and punished by the teachers for talking to himself. At some point in his youth, he was likely taught by an older boy how to build a make-shift retractable shiv in order to protect himself.
He was later hired as a farmhand by the Blakely family, and played baseball with their son, Billy. As the two progress through youth baseball, high school baseball, and college baseball, Katsanis began to outpace Blakely, whose parents used their local influence to get Katsanis barred from playing alongside Blakely with the Davenport Cornhuskers.
In the Spring of 1957, Katsanis murdered the Blakely's and assumed William's identity, traveling to New Jersey when Blakely was called up to the Titans by Kerwin McCaslin. In the Opening Day game against the Boston Red Sox on 16 April 1957, Blakely struck out looking his first at-bat against Ike Delock, struck out swinging in his second at-bat, and hit an RBI double in his third at-bat to give the Titans a 2-1 lead. In the top of the ninth inning, he tagged out pinch-runner Billy Anderson at the plate to preserve the win.
In the second game against the Red Sox, Blakely hit a two-run home run. In the Titans' three-game set against the Washington Senators, Blakely hit safely in each game, including his second home run of the season. In the Titans' three-game set against the Baltimore Orioles, Blakely again hit safely in each game. In the Titans' first game against the Cleveland Indians, Blakely went 3-for-4 with a home run. In the Titans' three-game set against the New York Yankees, Blakely again hit safely in each game, and tagged out Bill Skowron in a run-down between third and home.
In the Titans' two-game set against the Detroit Tigers, Blakely hit safely in both games, including a home run and a triple. In the Titans' three-game set against the Kansas City Athletics, Blakely again hit safely in each game, including a 5-for-5 performance in the first game that included two more home runs. In the Titans' three-game set against the Chicago White Sox, Blakely again hit safely in each game.
Katsanis was arrested by Detective Lombardazzi after a game in mid-May of 1957, but managed to murder umpire Hi Wenders before he was apprehended.