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Joe Torre, whose baseball career spans seven decades — highlighted by his election to the Hall of Fame in 2014 as a manager — was appointed to the Hall’s board of directors on Tuesday.

Torre, 82, has been special assistant to commissioner Rob Manfred since February 2020. He becomes the 17th member of the Hall of Fame board.

“Joe Torre’s seven-decade career in baseball — as an All-Star player, Hall of Fame manager and revered member of baseball’s leadership team — has made him a singularly respected voice of our National Pastime, and we are thrilled to welcome him to the Museum’s Board of Directors,” Jane Forbes Clark, the Hall’s chairman of the board, said in a news release. “Since his induction in 2014, Joe’s passion and dedication to the Hall of Fame has been steadfast, and his knowledge and insight will help guide the Museum into its future.”

Torre signed with the Milwaukee Braves in 1959 and played in two games in his first season in 1960. He finished an 18-year playing career with the New York Mets in 1977. He was a nine-time All-Star and won the 1971 National League MVP Award with the St. Louis Cardinals. He finished his career with a .297 batting average, 252 home runs and 2,342 hits.

Torre managed the Mets for five seasons starting in 1977 and later led the Atlanta Braves and Cardinals. He managed the New York Yankees from 1996 to 2007, winning four World Series titles. He finished his managerial career by leading the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2008 to 2010.

Torre’s win total of 2,326 as a manager ranks fifth all-time.

“It is a great privilege to join the Hall of Fame’s Board of Directors,” Torre said in a release. “Baseball has been my life, and I know well what Cooperstown means to our game and its loyal fans. I am honored to support the mission of the Hall of Fame and all the ways it can lift up the best game in the world.”

–Field Level Media