Former MLB player Joe Pepitone, best known for his tenure with the New York Yankees during the 1960's, passed away today. No cause of death was announced. He was 82.
A Brooklyn native, Pepitone was signed by the Yankees in 1958 and would make his big-league debut in 1962 earning a World Series ring in the process. The peak of Pepitone's career was between 1963-1966 when he was selected to three consecutive AL All-Star Teams, won two of his three career Gold Gloves at first base and appeared in two more World Series. Unfortunately, Pepitone committed an error in Game 4 of the 1963 World Series which would clinch the Fall Classic for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
After earning his third Gold Glove in 1969, the Yankees traded Pepitone to the Houston Astros where he spent half a season before being sent to the Chicago Cubs where he developed a love-hate relationship with Cubs manager Leo Durocher. Pepitone finished his MLB career with the Atlanta Braves in 1973 and also briefly played in Japan.
In 12 big league seasons, Pepitone collected 1,315 hits for a lifetime batting average of .258 with 219 HR and 721 RBI. However, in part due to his flamboyant antics both on and off the field, Pepitone was considered something of an underachiever. This was something he seemed to acknowledge in his 1975 autobiography Joe, You Coulda Made Us Proud.
Pepitone achieved some success in the late 1970s and early 1980s playing professional softball. He would have several infractions with the law in the 1980's and 1990's one of which resulted in jail time for drug convictions. Still, Pepitone was a perpetual favorite during Old Timer's Day at Yankee Stadium. I leave you with Pepitone being interviewed during the Old Timer's Day at Yankee Stadium in 2013. R.I.P.
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