Baseball legend Rocky Colavito has died at the age of 91, according to the Cleveland Guardians.
Colavito spent eight of his 14 seasons in Cleveland. During that time, he was a star on the team in the '50s and '60s, playing in nine All-Star Games and recording 374 home runs over his career, which he spent between Cleveland, the Tigers, the Athletics, the White Sox, the Dodgers and the Yankees.
He played in Cleveland from 1956 to 1959 and again from 1965 to 1968. In an unpopular move, the team traded Colavito to Detroit in his prime. The "Curse of Rocky Colavito," as it became known, became a Terry Pluto book of the same name about the 30-year slump that followed.
After his retirement following the 1968 season with the Yankees, Colavito returned to Cleveland as a coach and broadcaster.
“Our collective hearts ache at the passing of Rocky,” said Guardians Senior Vice President of Public Affairs Bob DiBiasio. “Rocky was a generational hero, one of the most popular players in franchise history. His popularity was evident across Northeast Ohio as sandlot ballplayers everywhere imitated Rocky’s on-deck circle routine of kneeling, then as he stepped into the batter’s box the stretching the bat over the shoulders and pointing the bat at the pitcher. I can proudly say I was one of them. Rocky loved our organization and always held the fans in the highest esteem. He would always say, ‘I am thankful God chose me to play in Cleveland.’ We send our most sincere condolences to the entire Colavito family, as well as his many teammates and other organizations impacted by his passing."
In 2021, a life-sized statue was put up in Little Italy in honor of Colavito, which he unveiled on his 88th birthday.
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