RIP - Frank Torre

 
Frank Torre, former 1st baseman for the Braves and Phillies, and older brother of Joe Torre, passed away on September 13, 2014 of a heart attack at age 82.

Frank played for the Milwaukee Braves from 1956 to 1960, and played in the World Series in both 1957 and 1958. The Braves met the Yankees both times, winning in '57 but losing in '58. Torre played every game in both Series, and was a key contributor in the '57 Series, batting .300 with 2 homers and 3 RBI.

Although Frank and Joe were both in the Braves' organization at the same time, they were never teammates.

After spending 1961 in the minors, he resurfaced with the Phillies in 1962 and 1963.

Following his baseball career, Torre worked for the Rawlings sporting goods company, and was an executive for the Baseball Assistance Team.

Torre had been in failing health in recent decades, receiving a heart transplant in 1996 and a kidney transplant in 2007.

New York Times obituary

New York Daily News obituary

ESPN obituary
 

Oh, Brother!

Here are some of the brothers who played ball in the 1960s.

The only 3-brother combo in the 1960s was Felipe, Matty, and Jesus Alou, who all came up with the Giants before scattering elsewhere. Jesus made his major-league debut in a September call-up in 1963, Felipe's last season in San Fran. With someone named Willie Mays on hand, chances for an all-Alou outfield were slim, but they managed to all play together one time.

Hank and Tommie Aaron hit more home runs than any other brother duo, with 768 (755 by Hank).

The Boyers cornered the 3rd base market in New York City in 1966. The brothers were 3rd base counterparts in the 1964 World Series, when Ken was with the Cardinals.

The Brothers Perry were star pitchers for their respective teams. Jim played primarily with the Indians and Twins, and won the AL Cy Young award in 1970, winning 24 games. Gaylord played 22 seasons, the first half of his career with the Giants, before bouncing around to a number of teams. He was a 5-time 20-game winner. The brothers were teammates on the 1974-75 Indians.

Phil and Joe Niekro were both knuckleballers, Phil played for 4 teams over 24 seasons (1964-87), the first 20 seasons with the Braves. Joe played for 7 teams over 22 seasons (1967-88). They were teammates on the 1973-74 Braves, and the 1985 Yankees.

Frank and Joe Torre both began their careers with the Milwaukee Braves, and although they were both on the big club for part of 1960, and in the Braves' farm system for some of the same years, they were never teammates.

Lee May played 18 seasons, with Cincinnati, Houston, Baltimore, and the KC Royals. Younger brother Carlos played primarily for the White Sox. They were never teammates.

Just kidding! For over 40 years, I thought these two were brothers, before one of you bloggers set me straight a few years ago.


Other brother combos in the 1960s were Tony and Billy Conigliaro,  Dick and Hank Allen, Dick and Larry Brown, and Billy and Bobby Klaus.
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