Rocky Colavito facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rocky Colavito |
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Colavito in 1959
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| Outfielder | |||
| Born: August 10, 1933 New York City, New York, U.S. |
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| Died: December 10, 2024 (aged 91) Bernville, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| September 10, 1955, for the Cleveland Indians | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 28, 1968, for the New York Yankees | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .266 | ||
| Home runs | 374 | ||
| Runs batted in | 1,159 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Rocco Domenico "Rocky" Colavito Jr. (born August 10, 1933 – died December 10, 2024) was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder from 1955 to 1968. He was most famous for playing with the Cleveland Indians. Fans loved him for his powerful hitting and his strong throwing arm.
Rocky Colavito also played for the Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Athletics, Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, and New York Yankees. He was chosen as an All-Star nine times. For his first eleven seasons, he hit about 33 home runs each year. He hit more than 40 home runs three times and had over 100 runs batted in six times.
In 1959, he hit four home runs in a single game! He was also the top home run hitter in the American League (AL) that year. After he stopped playing, Colavito worked as a television sports commentator. He also coached for the Indians and the Kansas City Royals. In 2006, he was added to the Cleveland Guardians Hall of Fame.
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Early Life and Baseball Dreams
Rocky Colavito was born and grew up in The Bronx, New York City. He was a big fan of the New York Yankees, especially Joe DiMaggio. When he was 16, he left high school to play semi-professional baseball. He hoped this would help him reach his dream of playing in Major League Baseball.
The Cleveland Indians noticed his strong throwing arm. A scout named Mike McNally saw him try out at Yankee Stadium. On January 1, 1951, when he was 17, the Indians signed him. In 1954, Colavito hit 38 home runs and had 116 RBIs for a minor league team called the Indianapolis Indians. This showed everyone he was a powerful hitter.
Playing in the Major Leagues
Starting with the Cleveland Indians
Rocky Colavito made his MLB debut on September 10, 1955, with the Cleveland Indians. In 1956, he played part of the season in the minor leagues. He showed off his amazing arm by throwing a ball over the center-field wall, which was 436 feet away! He returned to the Indians in July. That year, he batted .276 with 21 home runs. He was also one of the top players for the MLB Rookie of the Year Award.
In 1958, Colavito had a fantastic season. He batted .303, which was his best batting average ever. He hit 41 home runs and had 113 runs batted in. He also led the AL in slugging percentage, which shows how many bases a player gets per at-bat. He even pitched three innings for Cleveland in one game!
Making History in 1959
In 1959, Colavito hit 42 home runs. He was the first Indians player to hit more than 40 home runs in two years in a row. He tied for the most home runs in the AL that season. On June 10, 1959, he made history by hitting four home runs in one game! He was only the second player in AL history to do this.
Colavito said this game was the best moment of his career. He was chosen for two All-Star Games that year and hit a home run in one of them. The Indians finished second in their league that year. Rocky Colavito was known for being a consistent power hitter and an excellent outfielder with a very strong arm.
Moving to the Detroit Tigers
Rocky Colavito was a huge fan favorite in Cleveland. He was always friendly and signed autographs for hours after games. But on April 17, 1960, the Indians' general manager, Frank Lane, traded him to the Detroit Tigers. This trade happened just two days before the season started!
Fans in Cleveland were very upset to lose their favorite player. The Tigers were happy to get Colavito. He hit 35 home runs and had 87 RBIs in his first year with Detroit. In 1961, he had an even better year, hitting a career-high 45 home runs and 140 RBIs. He was chosen for both All-Star Games again that year. During one doubleheader, he hit four home runs, with three of them in the second game.
While Tigers fans were glad to have him, they didn't love him the same way Cleveland fans did. In one game, Colavito got into an argument with a fan in the stands and was ejected from the game.
Playing for the Kansas City Athletics
On November 18, 1963, Colavito was traded to the Kansas City Athletics. He played only one season with them. He was the highest-paid player on the team, earning $50,000. On September 11, 1964, he hit his 300th career home run. He was one of the youngest players to reach this milestone.
That year, Colavito hit .274 with 34 home runs and 102 RBIs for the A's. He was also selected for the All-Star Game.
Returning to Cleveland
In January 1965, Rocky Colavito returned to the Cleveland Indians in a big trade involving three teams. Fans were very excited to have him back. In the home opener on April 21, he hit a two-run home run in front of 44,000 cheering fans.
That season, he batted .287 and led the AL in RBIs with 108. He also had 26 home runs and 92 runs scored. He played in all 162 games for Cleveland without making any errors! He was selected for his eighth All-Star Game. The Indians finished in 5th place that year. In 1966, Colavito hit 30 home runs and was selected for his ninth and final All-Star Game.
Final Years in MLB
In July 1967, Colavito was traded to the Chicago White Sox. He played 60 games for them that season. In March 1968, he was bought by the Los Angeles Dodgers. He hit 3 home runs in his first game in the National League.
On July 15, 1968, Colavito signed with the New York Yankees. This was the last team he played for in his 14-year MLB career. In his first time batting for the Yankees, he hit a three-run home run. On August 25, 1968, Colavito, who was 35 years old, became a winning pitcher in a game. He pitched 2 and 2/3 innings without giving up any runs against the Detroit Tigers. He even scored the winning run for the Yankees in that game! He retired as a player on September 30, 1968.
After Playing Baseball
After his playing career, Rocky Colavito worked as a television announcer for the Cleveland Indians in 1972 and 1975. He also coached first base for the Indians from 1973 to 1978. Later, he was a hitting coach for the Kansas City Royals in 1982 and 1983.
In 1983, Colavito was involved in a famous game called the "Pine Tar Incident." He was ejected from the game for arguing with the umpires.
Personal Life
Rocky Colavito married Carmen Perrotti, who was a professional dancer, in 1954. In 2015, he had to have part of his right leg removed because of problems with diabetes. Rocky Colavito passed away at his home on December 10, 2024.
Rocky Colavito's Achievements
Here are some of Rocky Colavito's most notable achievements:
- 6-time AL All-Star (1959, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1966)
- Led the AL in Slugging Percentage (1958)
- Led the AL in Total Bases twice (1959, 1962)
- Led the AL in Home Runs (1959)
- Led the AL in RBIs (1965)
- Led the AL in Walks (1965)
- Had 20 or more Home Run Seasons: 11 times (1956–1966)
- Had 30 or more Home Run Seasons: 7 times (1956–1962, 1964, 1966)
- Had 40 or more Home Run Seasons: 3 times (1958, 1959, 1961)
- Had 100 or more RBI Seasons: 6 times (1958, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965)
- Hit four home runs in one game (1959)
His Legacy in Baseball
Rocky Colavito was known as one of the best power hitters and outfielders of his time. He had one of the strongest throwing arms in baseball.
In 2001, he received a huge cheer when he was introduced as part of the Indians' All-Century team. On July 29, 2006, Rocky Colavito was inducted into the Cleveland Guardians Hall of Fame. On his 88th birthday, August 10, 2021, a statue of Colavito was revealed in Cleveland's Little Italy. Rocky was there for the special event.
The "Curse of Rocky Colavito"
In 1994, a sports writer named Terry Pluto wrote a book called The Curse of Rocky Colavito. The book tried to explain why the Cleveland Indians had not won a championship in a very long time. Pluto suggested that trading Colavito in 1960 caused the team to struggle for over 30 years. He even thought that bringing Colavito back in 1965 was also a bad move.
Pluto wrote a second book in 1995 after the Indians won their league championship. But they lost the World Series that year. The Indians won their league championship again in 1997 and 2016, but they lost the World Series both times. Some people still believe the "curse" is real because the Indians (now Guardians) haven't won a World Series since 1948.
Images for kids
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Colavito batting for the Kansas City A's during spring training in 1964
See also
- List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career runs batted in leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual runs batted in leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual home run leaders
- List of Major League Baseball single-game home run leaders
- List of Major League Baseball single-game hits leaders
