Joe Torre

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Joe Torre bigraphy, stories - American baseball player, coach, manager

Joe Torre : biography

July 18, 1940 –

Joseph Paul Torre ( born July 18, 1940) is an American major league baseball executive and former baseball manager and player. A nine-time All-Star, he played in Major League Baseball as a catcher, first baseman and a third baseman for the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, and the St. Louis Cardinals. After his retirement as a player, he later managed three teams. He was also a player-manager of the Mets.

Torre managed the New York Yankees from 1996 to 2007. The Yankees reached the post season each year and won ten American League East Division titles, six American League pennants, four World Series titles, and compiled a .605 winning percentage overall. With 2,326 wins, he is currently ranked 5th on the list of Major League Baseball all-time managerial wins.

Joe Torre Foundation

Torre and his wife Ali created the Joe Torre Safe at Home Foundation, inspired by Torre’s experiences growing up as a witness to domestic violence in his home in Brooklyn. The foundation operates approximately a dozen domestic violence resource centers called Margaret’s Place, named after Torre’s mother, in New York City and Westchester County, New York.

In October 2007, the Joe Torre Foundation partnered with Union City, New Jersey’s Board of Education and the North Hudson Community Action Corporation (NHCAC) to create New Jersey’s first Margaret’s Place, at Union City’s Jose Marti Middle School. Aspects of Union City’s Margaret’s Place will include a peer counseling program and an anti-violence campaign within the school, in order to encourage children to discuss family problems more freely, and training for teachers and counselors. The haven, which is housed in its own secure room at the school, was funded by a $325,000 grant from Verizon and is administered by health care professionals from North Hudson Community Action Corp.

Torre is also a supporter of other domestic violence programs. In September 2008, he recorded a public service announcement and personal voice message in support of the RESPECT! Campaign against domestic violence.

Career statistics

In an 18 year major league career, Torre played in 2,209 games, accumulating 2,342 hits in 7,874 at bats for a .297 career batting average along with 252 home runs, 1,185 runs batted in and an on base percentage of .365. He retired with a .990 fielding percentage in 903 games as a catcher, a .993 fielding percentage in 787 games as a first baseman and a .951 fielding percentage in 515 games as a third baseman. During his career, Torre hit over .300 five times, had over 100 runs batted in five seasons and hit over 20 home runs six times. A nine-time All-Star, he was the recipient of one Most Valuable Player Award and claimed one batting championship along with one RBI crown. Torre was also a Gold Glove Award winner and led National League catchers twice in fielding percentage. Torre never reached the post-season during his playing career.

Playing career

Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves (1960–68)

Torre followed in his brother Frank’s footsteps when he was signed by the Milwaukee Braves as an amateur free agent in 1960. In his first season in the minor leagues with the Class A Eau Claire Braves, he won the Northern League batting championship with a .344 batting average. Torre made his major league debut late in the season on September 25, 1960. He was assigned to the Triple A Louisville Colonels for the season where, the Braves had planned to groom him as the eventual successor to their All-Star catcher, Del Crandall. However, those plans were changed when Crandall injured his throwing arm in May 1961, forcing the Braves to promote Torre to the major leagues with just over a year of minor league experience. Torre rose to the occasion, hitting for a .278 batting average with 21 doubles and 10 home runs. He finished the season ranked second to Billy Williams in the National League Rookie of the Year voting.

Crandall resumed his role as the number one catcher in 1962 while Torre stayed on as the back up catcher. By the 1963 season, the Braves had begun to play Crandall at first base as Torre had taken over the starting catcher’s role. He ended the season with a .293 batting average with 14 home runs and 71 runs batted in and, earned a spot as a reserve for the National League team in the 1963 All-Star Game. In December , the Braves traded Crandall to the San Francisco Giants leaving Torre as the undisputed number one catcher.