Longtime New York Yankees first baseman and outfielder Joe Pepitone died at age 82, the team announced Monday.
Pepitone was a three-time Gold Glove winner and three-time All-Star selection during his eight seasons in the Bronx (1962-69). He went on to play for the Houston Astros (1970), the Chicago Cubs (1970-73) and the Atlanta Braves (1973).
“The Yankees are deeply saddened by the passing of former Yankee Joe Pepitone, whose playful and charismatic personality and on-field contributions made him a favorite of generations of Yankees fans even beyond his years with the team in the 1960s,” the Yankees said in a statement. “As a native New Yorker, he embraced everything about being a Yankee during both his playing career — which included three All-Star appearances and three Gold Gloves — and in the decades thereafter. You always knew when Joe walked into a room — his immense pride in being a Yankee was always on display. He will be missed by our entire organization, and we offer our deepest condolences to his family, friends and all who knew him.”
A Brooklyn native, Pepitone was a career .258 batter with 219 home runs and 721 RBIs in 1,397 major league games.
The Yankees won the World Series in 1962, Pepitone’s rookie year, and lost the series each of the next two seasons. His error at first base in Game 4 of the 1963 World Series allowed a baserunner to reach third, setting up the eventual Series-clinching run.
Pepitone later worked for the Yankees in the development of minor league players for much of the 1980s and 1990s.
–Field Level Media
