Joe Altobelli | |||
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Altobelli in 1983
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First baseman / Manager | |||
Born: Detroit, Michigan |
May 26, 1932 |||
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MLB debut | |||
April 14, 1955, for the Cleveland Indians | |||
Last MLB appearance | |||
October 1, 1961, for the Minnesota Twins | |||
MLB statistics | |||
Batting average | .210 | ||
Hits | 54 | ||
Run batted in | 28 | ||
Teams | |||
As Player
As Manager
Achievements
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As Player
As Manager
Achievements
Joseph Salvatore Altobelli (born May 26, 1932) is an American former player, manager and coach in Major League Baseball. In 1983, he succeeded Hall of Famer Earl Weaver as manager of the Baltimore Orioles and led the team to their sixth American League pennant and their third (and most recent) World Series championship.
In 2009, Altobelli ended his involvement in professional baseball, retiring after over a decade as a color commentator for the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings.
Born and raised in Detroit, Altobelli earned All-City recognition in football, basketball and baseball while attending Eastern High School. He married Patsy Ruth Wooten in 1952; they had six children.
As a player, Altobelli was a slugging first baseman and outfielder who enjoyed his greatest success at the AAA level. He batted only .210 in 166 games for the Cleveland Indians (1955, 1957) and Minnesota Twins (1961), with five home runs and 28 runs batted in. However, he was frequently in the double-digits in homers as an AAA player. As a member of the Montreal Royals, he led the 1960 International League (IL) in homers (31) and RBI (105). He batted and threw left-handed.