Former Giant Matty Alou dies

Matty Alou (1938-2011)

Former Giants outfielder Matty Alou, the brother of fellow Giants Felipe and Jesus Alou, has died at the age of 72, according to the Associated Press. He died at his home in the Dominican Republic after battling diabetes for several years.

Born Mateo Rojas Alou on Dec. 22, 1938 in Bajos de Haina, San Critobal, he was drafted in 1957 by the then-New York Giants as an amateur free agent.

Alou played for 15 seasons in the big leagues, getting his start in San Francisco (where he played from 1960 to 1965) before moving on to the Pirates (1966-’70), Cardinals (1971-’72, ’73), A’s (1972), Yankees (1973) and Padres (1974), where he played his final game on June 21, 1974. He won a NL batting crown in 1966 by hitting .342 for the Bucs.

The Giants issued a statement Thursday, saying “Although he played for six different teams, Matty remained a part of the Giants family as a longtime employee and will be forever linked with his brothers, Felipe and Jesus, as the first all-brother major league outfield.”

According to Wikipedia:

[Alou's] finest moment in San Francisco came in 1962 when his pinch-hit bunt single in the final game of a three-game tie-breaking playoff against the Los Angeles Dodgers began the rally that won the game and the pennant for the Giants.

A two-time All Star (1968-’69), Alou was also the uncle to former Giants outfielder Moises Alou and ex-Montreal Expos pitcher Mel Rojas.

Matty finished his career with with 31 HR, 427 RBI, 1,777 hits and 236 doubles with a career .307 average.

For more highlights on Matty Alou’s career, check out this article from Chris Jaffe at The Hardball Times.