Rocky Colavito, the wildly popular outfielder who was involved in one of the most talked-about trades in Cleveland sports history, has died. He was 91 years old.
Colavito, a nine-time All-Star, died Tuesday at his home in Bernville, Pennsylvania. Team spokesman Bob DiBiasio said he had been informed by the family and that family members were at Colavito’s side.
“Our collective hearts ache for Rocky’s death,” said DiBiasio, director of Guards– senior vice president for public affairs. “Rocky was a generational hero, one of the most popular players in franchise history. His popularity was evident in Northeast Ohio as sandlot players everywhere imitated Rocky’s routine of kneeling on the deck and then, as he entered the batter’s box, extending the bat over his shoulders and aiming the bat at the pitcher.”
In eight seasons with the Indians, Colavito hit 190 homers and drove in 574 times. He ranks 12th on the club’s list of career goal scorers. Colavito was inducted into the band’s Hall of Fame in 2006.
Born on August 10, 1933 in the Bronx, New York, Colavito signed with Cleveland at the age of just 17 after a tryout at Yankee Stadium in 1951.
He quickly rose through the team’s minor league ranks before making his major league debut in 1955, joining a Cleveland team that already featured Ralph Kiner and Larry Doby, both future Hall of Famers.
Rocky Colavito played in Cleveland twice in the 1950s and 1960s. (Photo by Herb Scharfman/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
In 1958, Colavito batted .303 with 41 homers and led all majors in slugging percentage. He finished third in AL MVP voting.
The following season, he was named an All-Star for the first time and led the American League with 42 goals scored. Then in 1960 Cleveland sold it to Detroit Tigers in exchange for pitcher Harvey Kuenn, a move that was condemned by fans.
Colavito spent four seasons with the Tigers before being traded to the Kansas City Athletics in 1964. He was reacquired by Cleveland before the 1965 season and spent two and a half seasons with the franchise before being traded to Chicago White Sox in 1967
Colavito ended his career with short stints in the team Los Angeles Dodgers and his hometown Yankees before retiring at the end of the 1968 season.
Over the course of his 14-season career, he scored 374 goals and finished in the top five in MVP voting three times. Colavito is the only player in Cleveland history to hit four home runs in a game and shares the MLB record for highest home run percentage by an outfielder in a season (1,000).
After retiring, Colavito worked in television in Cleveland and was a member of the club’s coaching staff from 1976-78. He later trained in Kansas City.
Associated Press reports.
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