Joe Torre

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Joseph Paul Torre (born July 18, 1940) is an American professional baseball executive, serving in the capacity of Major League Baseball's (MLB) chief baseball officer since 2011.

A former player, manager and television color commentator, Torre ranks fifth all-time in MLB history with 2,326 wins as a manager.

With 2,342 hits during his playing career, Torre is the only major leaguer to achieve both 2,000 hits and 2,000 wins as a manager.

From 1996 to 2007, he was the manager of the New York Yankees and guided the team to four World Series championships. Torre's lengthy and distinguished career in MLB began as a player in 1960 with the Milwaukee Braves, as a catcher, first baseman and third baseman.

He also played for the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets until becoming a manager in 1977, when he briefly served as the Mets' player-manager.

His managerial career covered 29 seasons, including tenures with the same three clubs for which he played, and the Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers, until 2010.

From 1984 to 1989, he served as a television color commentator for the California Angels and NBC.

After retiring as a manager, he accepted a role assisting the Commissioner of Baseball as the executive vice president of baseball operations. A nine-time All-Star, Torre won the 1971 National League (NL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award after leading the major leagues in batting average, hits, and runs batted in.

After qualifying for the playoffs just once while managing the Mets, Braves, and Cardinals, Torre's greatest success came as manager of the Yankees.

His clubs compiled a .605 regular season winning percentage and made the playoffs every year, winning four World Series titles, six American League (AL) pennants, and ten AL East division titles.

In 1996 and 1998, he was the AL Manager of the Year.

He also won two NL West division titles with the Dodgers for a total of 13 division titles.

In 2014, Torre was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Early life

Joseph Paul Torre was born July 18, 1940, in Brooklyn, New York. He is the youngest of five children, two girls and three boys of Italian immigrants Joe Sr., a plainclothes officer in the New York City Police Department, and Margaret. Torre was raised in the Marine Park neighborhood of Brooklyn. His siblings; two older brothers, Frank and Rocco, and sisters, Sr. Marguerite. Torre grew up a New York Giants fan. Joe Sr. abused Margaret until Torre was 13 years old when Torre's brother, Frank, convinced their father to move out. They would later divorce.

Torre played baseball at Saint Francis Prep and in the All-American Amateur Baseball Association for the Brooklyn Cadets. Heavyset as a teenager, Torre was not considered a viable professional prospect until he converted to catcher on the advice of his brother, Frank. Torre worked briefly at the American Stock Exchange after high school.

Personal life

He has one son, Michael, by his first wife, Jackie, whom he married in 1963. He has two daughters, Lauren and Cristina, by his second wife, Dani, whom he married in 1968. Both of these marriages ended in divorce. On August 23, 1987, he married Alice (Ali) Wolterman, his third wife. They have a daughter, Andrea.

His older brother Frank Torre was also a Major League Baseball player. Frank died in 2014. His eldest brother, Rocco, was a New York Police Department officer who died in 1996. His older sister, Marguerite, was a Roman Catholic nun and teacher, and through 2007 was the principal of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary School in Ozone Park, Queens until her death on May 29, 2022. His other sister Rae died in 2015.

Torre was treated for prostate cancer in 1999.

On December 14, 2005, Torre carried the Olympic Flame in Florence, Italy, as part of the torch relay of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, running it 405 meters, and ending up at the Ponte Vecchio.

As of April 2020, Torre and his wife live in Harrison, New York. Until February 2020, they also had a house in Mahopac.

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Playing career

When Torre was signed by the Milwaukee Braves as an amateur free agent in 1959, he followed in Frank Torre's footsteps. He won the 1960 Northern League batting championship with a.344 batting average in his first season in the minor leagues with the Class A Eau Claire Bears. Torre made his major league debut on September 25, 1960, but not before the season. He was drafted to the Triple A Louisville Colonels in 1961, where the Braves planned to groom him as the eventual successor to their All-Star catcher Del Crandall. However, those plans were changed when Crandall sustained his throwing arm in May 1961, causing the Braves to claim Torre to the major leagues for the first time in just over a year of minor league experience. Torre stepped up to the occasion, hitting for a.278 batting average with 21 doubles and ten home runs. In the 1961 National League Rookie of the Year poll, he finished second, second to Billy Williams.

Crandall recovered his position as the country's top catcher in 1962, although Torre stayed on as the back-up catcher. Since Torre had taken over the starting catcher's duties by the 1963 season, the Braves had begun to play Crandall at first base. He finished the season with a.293 batting average, 14 home runs, and 71 runs batted in, and he earned a spot as a reserve for the National League in the 1963 All-Star Game. The Braves traded Crandall to the San Francisco Giants in December 1963, leaving Torre as the undisputed number one catcher.

Torre had a good year in 1964, when he hit 12 home runs with a.312 batting average by mid-season, and was voted to be the starting catcher for the National League in the 1964 All-Star Game. He finished the season with a.321 batting average, fourth highest in the league, along with 20 home runs and 109 runs batted in, and led National League catchers with a.995 field percentage. Despite the fact that the Braves ended the season in fifth place in fifth place, Torre came in fifth place in balloting for the 1964 National League Most Valuable Player Award.

Torre won his first two NL Player of the Month awards in 1965, batting.382, with 10 HR and 24 RBI, beating.382. Torre was elected to start the National League for the 1965 All-Star Game once more, with Milt Pappas as the starting catcher. Even though his batting average fell to.291. He ended the season with 27 home runs and 80 runs batted in. Torre was awarded his first and only Gold Glove Award in 1965, but baseball analyst Bill James said the decision was influenced by his offensive statistics, and that either John Roseboro or Tom Haller were more deserving of the honor. Torre is "the best catcher since Roy Campanella" in a book for the St. Petersburg Independent this year.

The Braves relocated to Atlanta and the new Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium, which due to the less dense atmosphere in the Appalachian Mountains' foothills, attracted more hitters. Torre's first major league home run in the history of the Atlanta stadium came on April 12, 1966. Torre had a career-high 36 home runs with a.315 on-base percentage, a.382 on-base percentage, and, with a 48.6% caught stealing percentage, Torre led National League catchers with a career-high 36 runs batted in. For the third year in a row, he was named starting catcher for the National League All-Star team. His offensive numbers came to a halt in 1967 with a.277 batting average and 68 runs batted in, but he still hit 20 home runs and won his fourth straight game in the 1967 All-Star Game. In 1968, he had a.271 batting average, 10 home runs, and 55 runs batted, but in 1968, he led National League catchers with a.996 field percentage.

Torre became embroiled in a feud with Braves General Manager Paul Richards over his salary before the 1969 season. Orlando Cepeda, the Braves' 1967 Most Valuable Player Award winner, was moved to the St. Louis Cardinals later this year.

Tim McCarver was the Cardinals' starting catcher, so Torre replaced him as their first baseman for the 1969 season. His offensive numbers improved, and he finished the season with a.289 batting average and 101 runs batted in. Dick Allen, Jerry Johnson, Curt Flood, and Joe Hoerner were traded away by the Cardinals in 1970 from McCarver, Byron Browne, Curt Flood, and Joe Hoerner to the Philadelphia Phillies for Dick Allen, Jerry Johnson, and Cookie Rojas. Allen took over as the Cardinals' first baseman, while Torre split his playing time between playing third base and sharing catching duties with young prospect Ted Simmons. His offensive numbers continued to rise; he batted in and finished second to Rico Carty in the National League batting championship with a.325 batting average.

Simmons was the Cardinals' full-time catcher in 1971, allowing Torre to concentrate on playing third base. Torre had a career-season offensively after being released from the physically demanding, strength-sapping job of catching. He was hitting for a.359 batting average at mid-season and was named as the starting third baseman for the National League in 1971. For the second and final time in August, he was named NL Player of the Month (3.73, 5 HR, 27 RBI). Torre won the National League Batting Championship in 1969, hitting.363 and leading the league with 137 runs batted in. Transitioning to a new defensive role was a challenge, especially when Torre led the league's third basemen with 21 errors. Fred Hutchinson was given the 1971 Hutch Award, which is given annually to the player who best exemplifies the fighting spirit and competitive aspirations.

Torre became the second baseman for the National League in 1972 for his second consecutive start. However, his offensive numbers for the season dropped to a.289 batting average with 11 home runs and 81 runs batted in. The Cardinals traded Ray Sadecki for Tommy Moore, the 34-year-old Torre's to the New York Mets for two more subpar seasons.

Torre became the third player in major league history and first in the National League, to reach four double plays in a single game with the Mets in 1975. Felix Millán was singled out in all four of his at-bats facing Torre, and Torre joked about his own success by saying "I'd like to thank Félix Millán for making this possible." When Torre's batting average dropped to.247 in 1975, it seemed that his best years would be behind him. However, his average increased by 59 points in 1976, and he finished the year with a.306 batting average. The Mets fired Joe Frazier as the team's chief and named Torre as their player-manager in May 1977. Since he felt he couldn't do the job properly while still playing, he decided to retire at age 37. He spent 18 days as a player-manager (but only had 2 at-bats), becoming the second of three players to play both roles in the 1970s (Frank Robinson, in the Cleveland Indians' two previous seasons, and Don Kessinger with the Chicago White Sox in 1979). On June 17, 1977 at Shea Stadium against the Houston Astros, where he stepped in as a pinch hitter. But he did play out to the right field, effectively ending his playing career.

Post-playing career

Torre played with the Mets from 1977 to 1981, but the team failed to raise the team's record. In his first season with the Mets, he went 49–68, while the team finished 64–98 overall and in last place in the NL East. The next two seasons weren't any better, with 66-96 and 63-99 respectively. Torre's 1980s team rose from fifth place to fifth place after finishing 67–95. Torre's last season with the team was 1981, and he went 17-34 in the first half of the season and 24–28 in the second half, finishing fifth and fourth. Torre was fired at the end of the 1981 season after five years without winning, but not in a winning season.

Torre fired Bobby Cox as the Atlanta Braves' manager and sent them to a Major League record 13 straight victories to start the season in 1982. Atlanta went on to finish 89-73 and capture the National League West division title, the first playoff appearance since the 1969 National League Championship Series (NLCS). The Braves soared to a 1–0 lead in Game 1 of the 1982 NLCS against the St. Louis Cardinals before being rain-delayed after four innings and ultimately cancelled just three outs short of a formal game. St. Louis won the rematch and went on to sweep the series. Torre was named the Associated Press' (AP) Manager of the Year, becoming the first person to win both the Associated Press' (AP) and an MVP award.

In 1983, the Braves slipped to second place, but they won just one game less than the previous season, and it was the first consecutive winning seasons for the organization after moving from Milwaukee in 1966. Atlanta fell 80–82 the following season, but the following year, the team finished runner-up in the division (tied with the Houston Astros). Torre was fired in 1984 after an eight-year absence.

Torre appeared on television color commentators for the California Angels from 1985 to 1990. Torre has also served as a color commentator on NBC's Game of the Week telecasts with Jay Randolph. Torre was on hand when working as a senior analyst for ESPN during the 1989 World Series, and it was on hand for the Loma Prieta earthquake (October 17, 1989).

Torre fired John Whitey Herzog as Cardinals boss in 1990, a record that stood at 351–354 years. Despite being unable to reach the playoffs during Torre's tenure, the Cardinals still had winning records in each of the three full seasons he played with the team (excluding the strike-shortened 1994). Despite a last-place prediction from several commentators, the Cardinals finished in second place and won 84 games in 1991, Torre's first full season at the helm. In 1993, he had his best record, 87-75. Torre was suspended in 1996 as part of a rebuilding initiative, but Anheuser-Busch is able to sell the team.

Under new owner George Steinbrenner, Torre was the Yankees' boss. Torre played in 12 seasons, playing 1,942 regular-season games, with a won-loss record of 1,173–767. He led the team to the playoffs for the first time in his twelve seasons with the club, winning six American League pennants and four World Series. Tort's was the second-longest tenure in club history by a long time: only Joe McCarthy survived longer. Torre is the only Yankees manager born in New York City.

Torre got off to a rocky start in his first game with the Yankees. His appointment was deemed a monumental waste by the New York City press (and fans), who welcomed him with tabloid headlines like "Clueless Joe." He had played in three previous careers, but had never won a playoff game in 14 seasons.

However, it was with the Yankees that he had the greatest success of his managerial career, winning the playoffs in each of his 12 seasons (1996-2007) with the team. He'll eventually be a fan favorite. He was named Year's Best in 1996. Torre, who appeared on the Yankees' Wild Card in 1995, made his first return to the "Fall Classic," leading the Yankees to their first World Series appearance since 1981. Steinbrenner tore up Torre's deal and gave him a new, more lucrative, and longer deal as a reward after the Yankees beat the Atlanta Braves.

Torre won his 1,000th game as manager on April 30, 1997, defeating the Seattle Mariners 2-1. The Yankees entered the postseason for the third year in a row, although as a Wild Card. In the Division Series, the Cleveland Indians lost to the Cleveland Indians. The team would win three straight World Series titles from 1998 to 2000, as well as additional American League pennants in 2001 and 2003.

Torre's most fruitful season came in 1998. Despite a slow start to the season's first five games, the Yankees defeated the Minnesota Twins on May 17. Torre and the Twins defeated the Twins on August 11, putting the overall win-loss record to record of 1168–1168. Casey Stengel, the team's youngest manager, had a career track lower than Torre at 166 games and eventually reached.500 as the Yankees' manager.

The Yankees easily defeated the Texas Rangers, fought off the Cleveland Indians for the AL pennant, and swept the San Diego Padres in the World Series during the 1998 playoffs. His club posted a major-league total win total for the season, as well as the 1906 Chicago Cubs' record of 118. Torre earned Best Team of the Year awards, and the 1998 squad, alongside the Yankee teams of 1927, 1939, and 1961, the 1972-1976 Cincinnati Reds, is now widely regarded as one of the best squads of all time.

When ESPN launched its Who's#1?

The 1998 Yankees ranked number one on the network's list of top teams from 1979 to 2003, with a series on June 15, 2004.

The Yankees defeated the Montreal Expos 6–0 in 1999, owing to presiding over his teams' second perfect game. The festival took place on July 18, also Torre's 59th birthday. He was the first to lead his teams to two straight game victories in his MLB career, while his fourth in MLB history to manage his team in two perfect games, joining Stengel (1–1), Walter Alston (1–2), and Tommy Lasorda (0–2). The Yankees also won their second straight World Series title.

Torre became the 17th manager in Major League history to win by 1,500 points over May 12, 2002.

Torre's greatest setback came in 2004, when the Yankees' dominance came to an end. After taking a 3–0 lead in the ALCS against the Boston Red Sox, his team will continue to suffer one of baseball's worst losses in recent history and will miss the next four games and the ALCS. The Red Sox would win the 2004 World Series for the first time since 1918, snaping "Bambino", which was reportedly inflicted on the team when Babe Ruth was sold to the Yankees in 1919.

The Yankees got off to an 8-11 start in 2005 when they took the field for five months at 84 percent. They won 14 of their last 18 on their way to overthrowrown Boston and win their eighth straight AL East title. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim lost in a five-game ALDS loss to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Friday.

Despite pitching difficulties and injuries, the Yankees won their second AL East title in 2006. In four games this season, the Yankees will play in the ALDS to the Detroit Tigers.

Torre became the first major league player to win 2,000 games as manager in 2007 with 2,000 hits. He won his 2,010th managerial job later on the MLB all-time managerial wins list, overtaking Leo Durocher for ninth position on the MLB all-time managerial wins list. In 2007, he defeated Stengel on the Yankees' all-time managerial wins list, earning his 1,150th victory with the Yankees. Torre led the Yankees to their 13th straight postseason appearance.

Steinbrenner said in an interview that Torre's deal would not be renewed if the Yankees did not defeat the Indians, following two Yankees' losses to the Cleveland Indians in the Division Series. As the Yankees defeated Game 3 at Yankee Stadium, they saved their season and potentially Torre's job for a single day. Torre's destiny was uncertain following the Yankees' dissolution the night before, prompting them to another first-round exit. The fans in Yankee Stadium chanted his name as he went out to make what would be his last pitching change with the team.

The Yankees met with Torre and gave him a one-year deal and $1 million compensation for each of three benchmarks: winning the American League Championship Series and winning the World Series; and winning the World Series. Also, if the Yankees made it to the World Series, it would have opened the possibility of a new contract the following year. Despite a wage cut of an average of $6.4 million over the past three years, the new terms would have retained him as the game's highest-paid manager.

Hal Steinbrenner, the chairman of Yankee Global Enterprises, "explained the logic behind the bid, which was unquestionable." "We felt we should go with a results-based model," Yankees president Randy Levine said. It's important to motivate people based on results." Due to age and declining health, George Steinbrenner had no involvement in the club's day-to-day operation. Hal's son Hal deny that his words influenced Torre's terms of the contract.

The offer was portrayed in New York newspapers as an insult. Torre was a big disappointment during his time with the Yankees, and he sadly had to leave the team. He called a press conference on October 19, 2007. He explained his decision on October 19, 2007. "I just felt the job offer and the terms of the deal were probably the thing I had the most trouble with," he said after first thanking George Steinbrenner.

"They are very slick, these thugs running the Yankees," Wallace Matthews of Newsday wrote about the aftermath. ... Apparently, the king of kings of Hungary had a field day. They've been trying to find a way to slap Torre while still making it seem as if Torre whacked himself. They were both pioneering and chilling in their skepticism, but ultimately transparent." "It was just the most controversial argument we are ever going to see in baseball," Opined Mike Lupica said, with the most prominent manager telling the people who run the team's most popular team to quit their job and dump it. The Yankees were eventually fired by a manager. "Torre erred in refusing the Yankees' plan to remain in the position that has earned him wealth and fame beyond what he ever imagined a dozen years ago," Joel Sherman says. He also walks "away from that juice as much as the ownership."

Torre co-authored The Yankee Years, a book about his Yankee days co-authored by Tom Verducci on February 3, 2009.

On September 20, 2010, Torre returned to Yankee Stadium for the first time since leaving the Yankees' managerial role, to honor George Steinbrenner, who was unveiled in Monument Park on the night of the previous owner's monument.

The Los Angeles Dodgers announced on November 1, 2007 that Torre will be their manager beginning with the 2008 season, filling the void left when Grady Little resigned two days before. Torre's return to the National League marked his return to the league, the only one he had played or managed in before being the Yankees skipper. According to ESPN, his deal was worth $13 million over three years. Torre brought two members of his 2007 Yankees coaching staff with him. Don Mattingly, who had been Tornado's bench coach, was named as the hitting coach, and third base coach Larry Bowa was hired to fill the same position with the Dodgers. Mattingly was promoted to the role of special assignment coach for the 2008 season due to family issues in January 2008. Mike Easler was promoted to hitting coach by Mike Easler.

In addition, Torre brought in Bob Schaefer to be bench coach, and Little's first base coach Mariano Duncan and pitching coach Rick Honeycutt were retained. Ken Howell was promoted from Triple-A pitching coach to bullpen instructor, completing his staff. Torre as a young child lived in Brooklyn when the Dodgers played, but then admitted to being a New York Giants fan, adding to the long-running rivalry between the two teams.

Joe Torre made his managerial debut with the Dodgers on March 31, 2008, winning 5–0. Manny Ramirez, Derek Lowe, and Nomar Garciaparra are among the Red Sox's former players who will be governing him, as well as Nomar Garciaparra. Torre's 13th appearance in the National League West on September 25, 2008. Torre was the Dodgers' first post-season series victory since 1988's championship season. Torn's Dodgers were defeated by the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLCS four games to one, resulting in a 5–1 loss on October 15.

Torre appeared as a mentor on manager Charlie Manuel's staff in the All-Star Game in 2009. The Dodgers clinched the top seed after completing their best run in the National League (95–67). In the National League Division Series, they met the St. Louis Cardinals, sweeping them in three games. Nevertheless, the Phillies lost in five games to the Philadelphia Phillies in the National cyclical season, defeating the Phillies for the second straight season. (The Phillies lost to the Yankees in the 2009 World Series, but the Yankees did not.)

The Dodgers played against both the Yankees and the Red Sox during the 2010 season. Against the two teams, the Dodgers were able to go 1–5 only. It was the first time Torre had met the Yankees and the first time he had met the Red Sox since being released from the Yankees.

Torre resigned as the Dodgers boss after the 2010 season, with Don Mattingly as Torre's replacement for the 2011 season.

The Dodgers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 3–1 at Dodger Stadium on October 3, 2010, the Dodgers' 10,326th, and their first, career victory. Torre resigned as the game's boss at the end.

Torre accepted a position as the new Executive Vice President for Baseball Operations in spite of his age and desire to continue active post-field operations. According to the MLB.com biography, his primary liaison for all baseball and on-field operations between the commissioner's office and the general managers and field managers of all 30 Major League clubs include serving as the primary liaison for all baseball and on-field operations. Other responsibilities include: oversighting areas of major league operations, on-field procedures, and umpiring. Torre's title was renamed Chief Baseball Officer in December 2014 as part of an executive reorganization, but his duties remained unchanged.

When MLB denied the New York Mets the right to wear tribute caps to first responders in the tenth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks, Torres reacted angrily.

Torre resigned from Major League Baseball in January 2012, despite rumors that he was planning to purchase the Los Angeles Dodgers. After his organization struggled to buy the Dodgers, he returned to his spot with MLB in March.

Torre was the head coach of the USA team in the 2013 World Baseball Classic. On September 22, 2013, he attended a Yankees pregame tribute to Mariano Rivera at Yankee Stadium.

Torre opened talks about Major League Baseball in August 2015, amid rumors about umpiring, the strike zone, and instant replay, by speaking with players and staff of all 30 major league clubs. John Farrell, the Red Sox's manager, noticed a trend of pitches below the strike zone being called strikes. Mike Matheny, the Cardinals' manager, said, "it's good leadership that he's eager to start dialogue,... giving guys a chance [to discuss any topics they may have] is incredibly refreshing." He wasn't... making excuses for someone. "Help me understand how we can help," he said.

Torre led an expedition to Cuba in December 2015 with a team of MLB executives and players. It was the first time it had been since 1999, and one of the year's best efforts to help normalize relations with the US that had begun to decrease earlier this year.

Torre was reassigned as a special assistant to the Commissioner in February 2020 after being named as the head of on-field operations by former pitcher Chris Young. Despite keeping a position in the commissioners' ruling, Torre can no longer determine fines and suspensions for on-field incidents.

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