On May 12, 1961, the Detroit Tigers were visiting New York to start a four-game series at Yankee Stadium. Although the season was only a month old, the Tigers held a two-and-a-half-game lead over the Yankees and were eager to send a message to the defending American League champions.
As the eighth inning came to a close, Tigers left fielder Rocky Colavito returned to the third base dugout. Colavito, a native of the Bronx and a fan of the Yankees while growing up, always had a large rooting section whenever he returned home. As he neared the dugout, his custom was to look up at the stands to acknowledge his family and friends.
On this particular night, Colavito looked up at the stands and saw his father in a tussle with another fan. “I always look up there,” Colavito explained, “and when I saw my father struggling with somebody, I went right over the rail. My father is 60, and nobody is going to hit him while I’m there.” Colavito rocketed into the stands to come to his father’s defense, bowling over ticket holders as he went.
Detroit trainer Jack Homel led a posse of Detroit players to retrieve Colavito. “Some big son-of-a-gun got a hold of my back,” Colavito said of his uniform jersey. “But I shook him off fast. I wanted my hands free if there is [sic] going to be a fight.” The cause of the fracas was a Yankees fan, who had imbibed a few beers too many, annoying Rocky’s wife Carmen. Colavito’s older brother, Dominic, and his father Rocco, tried to intervene on Carmen’s behalf. “I found out,” said Colavito, “that some drunken bum was bothering my wife.” The “drunken bum” was escorted from Yankee Stadium by the police.
Umpire Ed Hurley immediately ejected Colavito from the field, citing a rule that any player who invades a fan area during a game must be ejected. After the umpires held a brief conference, it was decided that the oth Rocky Colavito
American baseball player (1933–2024)
Baseball player
| Rocky Colavito |
|---|
Colavito in 1959 |
| Outfielder |
Born:(1933-08-10)August 10, 1933
New York City, U.S. |
Died: December 10, 2024(2024-12-10) (aged 91)
Bernville, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
Batted: Right Threw: Right |
| September 10, 1955, for the Cleveland Indians |
| September 28, 1968, for the New York Yankees |
| Batting average | .266 |
|---|
| Home runs | 374 |
|---|
| Runs batted in | 1,159 |
|---|
| Stats at Baseball Reference |
|
- As player
- As coach
|
|
Rocco Domenico "Rocky" Colavito Jr. (August 10, 1933 – December 10, 2024) was an American professional baseball player, coach, and television sports commentator. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder from 1955 to 1968, most prominently as a member of the Cleveland Indians, with whom he established himself as a fan favorite for his powerful hitting and his strong throwing arm. Colavito also played for the Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Athletics, Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, and New York Yankees. At the time of his retirement in 1968, Colavito ranked third among AL right-handed hitters for home runs (374) and eighth for AL games played as a right fielder (1,272).
A nine-time All-Star, Colavito averaged 33 home runs per year for his first eleven seasons, exceeding 40 home runs three times and 100 runs batted in six times. He is the fifth player in the history of the American League (AL) to have eleven consecutive 20 home run seasons (1956–1966). In 1959, he hit four consecutive home runs in one game and, was the AL home run champion. He was also the first outfielder in AL history to complete a season without making an error.
After his playing career, Colavito worked as a television sports color commentator for WJW (TV) before returning to the playing field to serve as a coach with the Indians and the Kansas City Royals. In 2 Rocky Colavito
About the Book
Iconic ballplayer Rocky Colavito captivated fans during the 1950s and 1960s with his movie-star looks, boyish enthusiasm, powerful bat and cannon-like arm. This biography of “the Rock”—the first in more than half a century—recounts his origins in an Italian immigrant family, his close friendships with Herb Score and Roger Maris, and his rise through the minors to become one of the Cleveland Indians’ most beloved players—who retired with the third most home runs by a right-handed AL batter. The author also examines the controversial trade that sent Colavito, the AL’s 1959 home run champion, to the Detroit Tigers for batting champion Harvey Kuenn. Colavito’s departure was a crushing blow to Indians fans and the team’s subsequent 34–year slump was dubbed “the Curse of Colavito.”
About the Author(s)
Mark Sommer is an award-winning journalist for The Buffalo News. His work has also appeared in the Associated Press, Albany Times Union, Boston Globe, Boston Herald, Chicago Tribune, Cleveland Plain Dealer and Topeka Capital-Journal. He lives in Buffalo, New York.
Bibliographic Details
Mark Sommer
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 246
Bibliographic Info: 50 photos, appendix, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2019
pISBN: 978-1-4766-7397-4
eISBN: 978-1-4766-3729-7
Imprint: McFarland
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Preface 1
Introduction 5
1. The Trade 7
2. Signing with the Indians 19
3. Indianville 33
4. Roomie 46
5. Hit or Miss 55
6. “Those Guys Were the Future” 68
7. Stardom 78
8. Fantastic Four 94
9. Going, Going, Gone 101
10. The Motor City 115
11. Motown Discord 131
12. Joining the Circus 139
13. The Return 151
14. Breakup 161
15. Back to the Bronx 171
16. Outside the White Lines 184
17. Reconciliation 191
Appendix: Reconsidering the Hall of Fame 205
Chapter Notes 213
Bibliography 222
Index 225
Book Reviews & Awards
- “This impressive and extremely well
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