He played alongside Al Kaline on the Detroit Tigers from 1960 to 1963. Sixty years ago, on April 17, which was also Easter Sunday, one of the biggest trades in baseball history took place just two days before the Detroit Tigers opened the 1960 season in Cleveland. 9-time MLB All-Star who led the American League in home runs in 1959 and hit 374 home runs over the course of his 14-year career; became the first AL outfielder to post a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in a season in 1965. But talk to fans, and they dont recount the home runs as often as they do the stories of a player who spent time with fans, never shying from them, never big-timing them. 1. He was the last position player to get a win until Brent Mayne did it in 2000. 1. By Frank Fitzpatrick | July 9, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. Just click here to subscribe. Rocky Colavito is a MLB baseball player. At the time of his retirement in 1968, Colavito ranked third among AL right-handed hitters for home runs (371) and eighth for AL games played as a right fielder (1,272). A walk through the desert, thinking of Easter and the cross. Rocky Colavito was born on August 10, 1933. Youre a Hall of Famer on the field, and youre a Hall of Famer off the field. He hit four home runs in a game on June 10, 1959. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Sportswriter Joe Falls, who viewed Colavito as a "self-ordained deity", began going after Colavito in the press and started a feature chronicling the runs he failed to drive in. Pluto's explanation was that the trade of Colavito by the Indians in 1960 sent the team on a path to mediocrity that lasted more than three decades. For Signed Memorabilia Contact: Autographs and Cards: Click Here. I understand he lost part of a leg to diabetes but is nevertheless still vibrant at . The countdown for the statue unveiling started at 6 Colavitos jersey number. Claim to fame: Colavito had a 14-year career from 1955 to 1968, and for about ten of those years, he was one of the best players in the American League. After leaving the Tigers:Colavito was dealt to Kansas City after the 1963 season with Bob Anderson for Jerry Lumpe, Dave Wickersham, and Ed Rakow. [6], Colavito made his MLB debut on September 10, 1955 for the Cleveland Indians wearing number 38. He and his cousin have a long history, a good history. Syracusefans.com Runs and Bases: The 1950s (Part 2). Just hearing your voice will mean a lot., How do deal with regrets: Yes, we all have some. He led the Tribe with 116 RBI, 293 total bases, 94 . Baseball . Rocky Colavito reflects back on the trade that sent him to the Detroit Tigers in 1960, and just how good that 1961 Tigers team was. His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. He has never been forgotten. The winning pitcher on the day was Rocky Colavito. [1], A nine-time All-Star player, Colavito averaged 33 home runs per year for his first 11 seasons, exceeding 40 home runs three times and 100 runs batted in six times. The Cleveland Indians did take interest in his strong throwing arm (Indians scout Mike McNally had watched him try out in Yankee Stadium)[1] and signed him at age 17 as an undrafted amateur free agent on January 1, 1951,[5] with two-thirds of his signing bonus deferred until he progressed in their system. Hundreds of people packed the park to see the statue unveiled.David Petkiewicz, cleveland.com. In 2001, Colavito received a huge ovation at the introduction of the Indians' All-Century team.[44]. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. I remembered what Nancy Score told me about Colavito. A six-time All Star during this 14-year career, he slugged 139 homers with 430 RBIs from 1960-63 with the Tigers. He was one of the few friends who consistently called her husband, former Tribe pitcher and broadcaster Herb Score, in his final years. Permit me, if you will, to wax a bit nostalgic about one of the few men to have worn the uniforms of both the KC Royals and their Kansas City big-league predecessors, the Kansas City Athletics. Rocky Colavito, a former Royals coach and As player, remains one of the most memorable persons to have graced Kansas City baseball. Colavito said he and Score were like brothers, we never had a fight. Not every relationship was like that. In 1965, he led the league with 108 RBIs and while playing in all 162 games without an error, he became the first outfielder in league history to complete a season with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage. [14] The Indians finished in 5th place with a 8775 record. Rocky Colavito of the Detroit Tigers is greeted by Cash as he completes his home run in the fifth inning at Yankee Stadium, May 13, 1961. Rocky Colavito, 31st on major league baseball's home run list with 374, is retired and living in a hilltop home in Bernville, Pa., eight miles northwest of Reading, where he met his wife-to-be . Rocky Colavito, 31st on major league baseball's home run list with 374, is retired and living in a hilltop home in Bernville, Pa., eight miles northwest of Reading, where he met his wife-to-be . That makes him worth remembering, so it's good to have a full biography on the shelves. And then, on a Wednesday night in June 1959, there was Rocky Colavito. He also was an excellent outfielder with a very strong arm despite being flat-footed.[14]. Colavitos point was to reach back into the past, find some shared experiences. In 1959, Colavito led the American League . That had a lot to with Colavito, who at 31, played in every game and slashed .287/.383/.468 (140 OPS+), with 26 HR and a league-leading 108 RBI. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. When Norm Cash followed Colavito and tripled, Sisler was pulled for Marty Kutyna. He played for the Athleticsone season before rejoining the Indians. Colavito was in attendance for the ceremony.[45]. Tuesday, when a statue of the - yes, beloved - Indians slugger was unveiled in Tony Brush Park in Cleveland's Little Italy neighborhood, the respect fans have long held for Colavito rang out . In 2005 he was inducted into the Cleveland Journalism Hall of Fame. Rocky Colavito found immediate success at the big league level in 1955; he finished his career with 374 homers and a 132 OPS+. Cleveland lost the World Series to the Chicago Cubs 43; Cleveland's last World Series title was in 1948, when they defeated the Boston Braves. To my surprise, he walked over and we spoke for a bit; it was a moment I found incongruent with the accountsof his aloofness I read in later years, but one I still fondly recall. The A's had finished in last place with a 57105 record. He was born on August 10, 1933. The Yankees expressed little interest in him, and the Philadelphia Athletics had to bow out due to financial problems. CLEVELAND, Ohio You cannot mention Rocky Colavito without using the word beloved in the same sentence. I hope today that your heart is filled with half the amount of joy that youve given us on the field, Gazzo said during the ceremony. Colavito, his wife, Carmen, and two of their three children, along with about 20 family members left Berks County Monday for Cleveland in a bus chartered by the committee and the Indians . During his first time up batting for the Yankees, he hit a three-run homer against the Senators. Rocky Colavito. Ask first if its OK to pray for them. (The Rock) Bats Right, Throws Right. But if you think fans hearts were filled entirely with love, though, youd be wrong. They have also lived in Weston, FL and West Frankfort, IL. Not long after Mark Sommers biography Rocky Colavito: Clevelands Iconic Slugger came out in 2019, the author coordinated a meet-and-greet event at the State Theatre in Playhouse Square for Colavito. His throwing armthat Colavito howitzerfascinated me; it seemed he could throw out anyone. I hit three homers in the game and nearly had a fourth. Whats amazing is that Colavito last walked off a diamond as a player in 1968 53 years ago. Ive seen a lot of players. Colavito (uniform #7)[16] was placed in right field because of his strong throwing arm, moving Al Kaline to center field that season. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. They have three children, four granddaughters and a great grandson. 89 Year Olds. Rocky Colavito signs autographs for fans during spring training in 1963, his final season with the Detroit Tigers. Even though his speech is a bit hesitant, the disease has not yet affected his mental clarity. With as much passion as they loved Colavito, they hated Frank Lane. From a "Sidekick's" Perspective UPDATED! But, Colavito certainly had an impact on the game during his playing days, especially in Cleveland. Roger Maris: Baseball's Reluctant Hero, p.68, Tom Clavin and Danny Peary, Touchstone Books, Published by Simon & Schuster, New York, 2010. The Detroit journalist kept a statistic on Colavito during his years playing for the Tigers. ROCKY COLAVITO - TRADING/SPORTS CARD SIGNED - HFSID 20737. And its really remarkable that more than 50 years since he last wore a uniform that he continues to be showered with love and affection in Cleveland both among the general public and certainly among Italian-Americans, which makes it all the more fitting for the statue to be in Tony Brush Park in Little Italy., Sommer added: The Hall of Fame will be the culmination.. I was invited to tag along on an interesting journey to visit Rocky in Reading, PA. Lopez installed Colavito in right field, and he was in Cleveland to stay, finishing the 1956 season with 21 homers and 65 RBI in 101 games. He soon became the player I watched and studied most. Demings sculpture captures Colavito in his prime, a time when he would stroll to the plate at Cleveland Municipal Stadium and intimidate pitchers as he dug in and pointed his bat at them. But his Kansas City baseball days werent over. Rocky Colavito addresses the crowd before the unveiling. On April 17, 1960, Indians general manager Frank Lane unexpectedly traded him to the Detroit Tigers for Harvey Kuenn (the 1959 AL batting champion, having hit .353)[15] just two days before the opening day of the season in Cleveland against the Tigers. The three-run blast, Colavito's 37th home run of the season, gave the Tigers a five-run lead. Although he would only play four seasons in Detroit, Tigers' left fielder Rocky Colavito was the team's most productive slugger from 1960 through the 1963 and was second only to Al Kaline in popularity. Then Id take him home.. Whenever MLB returns, it won't be normal, Robert Fick and the final game at Tiger Stadium: 'It was unreal', Al Kaline's words from 1968 World Series will live forever: 'I'll never forget it', Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. The White Sox sent catcher Cam Carreon to Cleveland, and outfielder Mike Hershberger, center fielder Jim Landis, and pitcher Fred Talbot (February) to Kansas City.[25][14]. He dropped out of school at sixteen while trying to break into the majors. In that second game, I went 1-for-3, hit a three-run homer, and scored twice and we won again., On playing for the Tigers in the home opener in Detroit: The first year in Detroit was rough for me because I had left a place and a team that I loved and the fans in Cleveland loved me. He was young, strong, rugged, popular, and coming off back-to-back 40 home run/100 RBI seasons. He was 22. In one game, Falls acting as the official scorer charged Colavito with a controversial error, and the "Rock" personally confronted him after the game. , On the first game playing for the Tigers:Harvey and I literally wore each others jersey; I had his No. He pitched .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}2+23 scoreless innings as a reliever in the first game of a doubleheader against the league-leading Detroit Tigers. . Associated With. All cleveland.com newsletters are free. [24] Wearing uniform #7,[16] he spent only one season with Kansas City, earning a $50,000 salary as the highest-paid player on the A's. Colavito, his wife, Carmen, and two of their three children, along with about 20 family members left Berks County Monday for Cleveland in a bus chartered by the committee and the Indians . background-image:unset; Al and his wife Rhonda appeared in . For his career, Francona hit .272 with 125 homers, 656 RBIs and a .746 OPS in 1,719 games. He was the fifth player in American League history to have eleven consecutive 20-home run seasons (1956-66), reaching 40 home runs three times and 100 runs batted in six times during that span; he also led the AL in . There may be days when the person doesnt want to talk, or cant talk long. He also finished fourth in the MVP vote. His accuracy was stunning, his velocity incredible. Youve been traded to Detroit for Harvey Kuenn. He said good luck and I said same to you and thats all I ever said to him. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). And if you can access a video of the KC Royals famous (or infamous) 1983 Pine Tar Game, youll see Colavito in the dugout and on the field after Brett was called out. Rocco Domenico "Rocky" Colavito Jr. (born August 10, 1933) is an American former professional baseball player, coach and television sports commentator. [8] In 1957, he batted .252 with 25 home runs. He also suggested, that the trade in 1965 to bring Colavito back to the Indians was just as bad as the one that had sent him away. There have been players to hit five - four major leaguers, to be . Colavito in 1959. It appears to have been a job for which he was well-suitedaccording to author Mark Sommer in his recent bookRocky Colavito: Clevelands Iconic Slugger,Royals George Brett, Hal McRae and John Wathan all praised his work. In July, he returned to the Indians. In 1994, Terry Pluto, who covered the Cleveland Indians for The Plain Dealer in the 1980s and became the top sports columnist for the Akron Beacon Journal (but returned to The Plain Dealer in 2007), published The Curse of Rocky Colavito, a book that tried to explain why the Indians had not come within even 11 games of first place since 1959. "Lane trades Rocky for the batting champion Harvey Kuenn. He could to everything. Some highlights of Colavito's amazing career: 1956: Rocky clouted 21 HRs, 65 RBIs, 55 runs scored, a Slugging Average of .531 and an OPS of .903 in just 322 At Bats! First Name Rocky #22. I would have liked to have met Ruth, Colavito said as his son, Steve, quietly pushed his wheelchair onto the diamond. Five years later he was back in Cleveland, and in fans hearts - and he hit .287. Colavito was switched from right field to left field for the Tigers, and Kaline was reestablished in right field. Rocco Domenico "Rocky" Colavito, Jr. (born August 10, 1933 in New York City) is a former right fielder in Major League Baseball best known for his years with the Cleveland Indians. [7] On September 11, 1964, at 31, he became one of the youngest players to reach the 300-home-run mark (also was his 900th RBI), doing so against the Baltimore Orioles. Bill Wills of WTAM-1100 and I talk food and drink usually at 8:20 a.m. Thursday morning. [29] Not only did he face down Al Kaline and Willie Horton, he further vexed the Tigers by scoring the winning run for the Yanks in the eighth inning. It will arrive in your inbox on Friday mornings - an exclusive to-do list, focusing on the best of the weekend fun. Kutyna gave up a double to McAuliffe that brought Cash . [12] He was selected for both of the All-Star Games held for the first time that season and homered in Game 2 (two All-Star games were held annually in 1959 through 1962). Rocky is related to Nicole Marie Colavito and Kayleen R Story as well as 2 additional people. He was also the first outfielder in AL history to complete a season without making an error.[3]. I bounced it off a table at a card show and it hit the ceiling. Sommer (a former co-worker of mine . What to do when a heart breaks and a health crisis strikes, A scouting trip to the hills, a rushed wedding, a life lesson. Colavito remains humbled by the accolades. It goes back to what Sean wrote. His biographical data, year-by-year hitting stats, fielding stats, pitching stats (where applicable), career totals, uniform numbers, salary data and . YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. As Ive said, and Ill say it again: Cleveland is my favorite city in the world. Autographed copies $90. The first batter I faced was Kaline, who grounded out but he later got the only hit against me in both my pitching appearances. Categories: Inductees-C. Titled "A. Today: Colavito, 86, has been married to his wife, Carmen . That never really bothered me. He was the last AL player to do it until . Rocky Colavito was born on August 10, 1933 in The Bronx, NY. Rocky Colavito Wiki: Salary, Married, Wedding, Spouse, Family Rocco Domenico "Rocky" Colavito, Jr. (born August 10, 1933 in New York City) is a former right fielder in Major League Baseball best known for his years with the Cleveland Indians. Email Address. So, how much is Rocky Colavito worth at the age of 89 years old? Rocky grew up in The Bronx as a devoted fan of the New York Yankees, particularly Joe DiMaggio.By age nine he was playing semipro baseball, and he dropped out of school at age 16 to pursue a baseball career. Dealing Colavito to the Tigers before the 1960 season set off a firestorm of protest in Cleveland, including fans burning Lane in effigy. Where was Rocky Colavito born? 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