Riccelli began his professional career in Montana in 1971 with the Great Falls Giants.[4] In 1972, with the Amarillo Giants, Riccelli had 16 and 17-strikeout games en route to a 183-strikeout season, a total he would not top again in any one year.[5]
On September 11, 1976, Riccelli made his Major League debut. He and Bob Knepper, who had debuted the day before, became the first starting pitchers in San Francisco Giants history to make their debuts in consecutive games.[6] Riccelli finished the season in the Major Leagues[7] before returning to the Triple-APhoenix Giants for the entirety of the following season.[4]
On October 25, 1976, Riccelli was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for a player to be named later. On June 8, 1978, the Cardinals sent Riccelli to Houston for Bob Coluccio. Riccelli would appear in two games for the Astros that year, pitching three scoreless innings.[8] During a start in 1979, Riccelli suffered an injury which required him to undergo Tommy John surgery.[2] He returned to baseball with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Toronto Blue Jays organizations in 1980 and 1981 respectively but never returned to the Major Leagues.[4]
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