Joe Garagiola, Sr.
| Joe Garagiola | |||
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Garagiola in 1951
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| Catcher / Broadcaster | |||
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Born: February 12, 1926 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
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Died: March 23, 2016 (aged 90) Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S. |
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| MLB debut | |||
| May 26, 1946, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| September 26, 1954, for the New York Giants | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .257 | ||
| Home runs | 42 | ||
| Runs batted in | 255 | ||
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As Player
As Broadcaster |
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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As Player
As Broadcaster
Joseph Henry "Joe" Garagiola Sr. (February 12, 1926 – March 23, 2016) was an American professional baseball catcher, later an announcer and television host, popular for his colorful personality. Garagiola played nine seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, and the New York Giants. He was also well known outside of baseball for having been one of the regular panelists on The Today Show for many years, and for his numerous appearances on game shows, both as a host and panelist.
Garagiola was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He grew up on Elizabeth Avenue in an Italian-American neighborhood in St. Louis known as The Hill, just across the street from his childhood friend and competitor, Yogi Berra. (That block was subsequently renamed "Hall of Fame Place".) When Berra and Garagiola were both teenagers, almost all pro scouts rated Garagiola as the better baseball prospect, although Berra had a Hall of Fame career, and Garagiola always respected Berra's ability. About growing up living next to Berra, Garagiola once said, "Not only was I not the best catcher in the Major Leagues, I wasn't even the best catcher on my street!"
Garagiola was signed at age 16 by the St. Louis Cardinals organization. At age 17, he remains the youngest player to play in Columbus Red Birds history. Garagiola advanced to Columbus of the Class AA American Association in 1943, and was with them when he was called into military service on April 24, 1944. After taking basic training at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, Garagiola was sent to Fort Riley, Kansas, where he quickly established himself as the catcher for the Fort Riley Centaurs, with teammates Rex Barney and Pete Reiser.
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Wikipedia