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At a Glance:
 Rocky Colavito
| Outfielder | Born: August 10, 1933 (1933-08-10)
(age 76) New York, New
York | Batted: Right | Threw:
Right | MLB debut | September 10, 1955 for the Cleveland Indians | Last MLB appearance | September 27, 1968 for the New York Yankees | Career statistics | Batting Average: | .266 | Home runs: | 374 | Runs batted in: | 1,159 | Teams | - Cleveland Indians (1955-1959, 1965-1967)
- Detroit Tigers (1960-1963)
- Kansas City Athletics (1964)
- Chicago
White Sox (1967)
- Los Angeles Dodgers (1968)
- New York Yankees (1968)
| Career highlights and awards | - 6x All-Star selection (1959, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1966)
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Rocco Domenico "Rocky" Colavito, Jr.
(born August 10, 1933) in New York City is a former
right fielder in Major League Baseball best known for his years with the Cleveland Indians. He usually wore the #7 or #21 jersey throughout his MLB career.
Colavito was the fifth player in American League history to have eleven consecutive
20-home run seasons (1956-66), exceeding 40 home runs three times and 100 runs batted
in six times during that span; he also led the AL in home runs, RBI and slugging average once each. Hitting all but three of his 374 career home runs in the AL, he ranked behind only Jimmie
Foxx (524) and Harmon Killebrew (then at 397)
among the league's right-handed hitters when he retired. In 1965, playing every
game, he became the first outfielder in AL history to complete a season with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage, and his 1272 AL games in right field ranked eighth in league history
at the end of his career. He currently lives in Berks, Pennsylvania.
From
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In 1976, Rocky was voted the most
memorable personality in Cleveland Indians' history. He was elected to the National Italian American
Sports Hall of Fame in 1981, and was inducted into the Cleveland
Indians' Hall of Fame in 2006.
Rocky Colavito remains eligible for Veterans Committee consideration
at the Baseball Hall of Fame. The Veterans Committee will consider players again in the fall of 2010 for inclusions
in the Class of 2011.
As for his fans, Rocky was legendary for, as Wikipedia
states it “… always accommodating the hundreds of autograph seekers after each game even if it
took a few hours…”
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In his Foreword to “Don’t Knock the Rock; The Rocky Colavito Story”, (World Publishing Company,
1966), author Gordon Cobbledick described the Rock as being ‘lamentably deficient’ in colorful off-the-field behavior,
picturesque language, and any other various departures from the norm that make for good story-telling.
To this day, Rocky Colavito continues to exhibit the high morals and strong values that won him the respect and admiration
of players and fans throughout his playing career and gave challenge to the author of his biography. Rocky’s personal
life is marked by an impeccable reputation, highlighted by his marriage of over 50 years to the same woman and devotion to
his children and grandchildren.
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"...A scene that never failed to capture the
fans' attention: The Colavito warmup: As Rocky waited his turn at bat, he'd hold the bat over his head.
Then the bat was pulled behind his shoulders, stretching the arm and back muscles, while Rocky intently studied the pitcher
from the vantage point of the on-deck circle. A final violent downward tug at the bat, along with a twisting of his
neck and torso, and Rocky was ready. His powerful muscles loosened by the characteristic calisthenics, he'd step
into the batter's to wait for the first pitch...."
(Excerpted from the book, "Don't
Knock the Rock" by Gordon Cobbledick.)
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