Product Code Database
Jeffrey Allen Torborg (November 26, 1941 – January 19, 2025) was an American professional baseball catcher and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers and California Angels from 1964 to 1973. He managed the Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, New York Mets, Montreal Expos, and Florida Marlins.
The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Torborg as an amateur free agent in 1963. After playing in the minor leagues in 1963, Torborg made the Dodgers' roster as their third-string catcher in 1964 behind John Roseboro and Doug Camilli. On September 9, 1965, Torborg caught Sandy Koufax's perfect game. On July 20, 1970, he was the catcher receiving Bill Singer's no-hitter.
On March 13, 1971, the Dodgers sold Torborg's contract to the California Angels. On May 15, 1973, Torborg also caught the first of Nolan Ryan's seven . He was traded from the Angels to the St. Louis Cardinals for John Andrews at the Winter Meetings on December 6, 1973. Rappoport, Ken. "National League Tentatively Agrees to Move Padres to Washington, D.C." The Associated Press (AP), Friday, December 7, 1973. Retrieved December 23, 2022. On March 25, 1974, he was released by the Cardinals.
A year after leading the White Sox to an win-loss record, Torborg's 1992 New York Mets posted a record. After starting the 1993 season with a record, the Mets fired Torborg and replaced him with Dallas Green.
For the rest of the 1990s, Torborg worked as a sportscaster for the likes of CBS Radio and Fox. At CBS Radio, Torborg served as a color commentator for three World Series (1995–1997) alongside Vin Scully. While at Fox, Torborg served as a color commentator from 1996–2000.
Torborg returned to managing in May of 2001 to replace Montreal Expos manager Felipe Alou, on a three-year deal. When Jeffrey Loria, who had owned the Expos, sold the team and bought the Florida Marlins in 2002, he brought Torborg to Florida with him to serve as manager. The team went that year. After starting the 2003 season with a record, the Marlins fired Torborg. Jack McKeon was hired to replace him and led the team to a 2003 World Series victory.
Torborg returned to broadcasting for Fox. He served as the color commentator for Atlanta Braves games on FSN South and Turner South in 2006, where he was partnered with Bob Rathbun. Neither Torborg nor Rathbun was retained for the 2007 season.[3]
Torborg married Suzie Barber on June 6, 1963. For more than 25 years, Torborg lived with his family in a home in Mountainside, New Jersey.George Vecsey. "Sports of The Times; Torborgs Aren't Selling The House" , The New York Times, October 12, 1991. Accessed August 15, 2016. "They built the house. Well, not with their own hands, but they had it built for them, and that is nearly the same thing, after 26 years.... The home in Mountainside is not far from Westfield, the New Jersey town where Jeff Torborg was born."
Torborg later developed Parkinson's disease. He died in Port Orange, Florida on January 19, 2025, at the age of 83.
Coaching, managing, and broadcasting career
In 1977, Torborg became the bullpen coach of the Cleveland Indians. During the season, the Indians fired manager Frank Robinson and Torborg assumed the position, which he held for three years. He was a coach on the New York Yankees from 1979 to 1988. In 1989, Torborg left the Yankees to become the manager of the Chicago White Sox. A year after he took the helm, the White Sox won 94 games, which was a 25-game improvement from the team's 1989 season. For his efforts with the 1990 White Sox, Torborg won the American League Manager of the Year Award. Torborg stayed with the White Sox for one more year before moving to the New York Mets on a four-year deal of $1.7 million that dwarfed his previous deal of $250,000 a year.
Personal life and death
Torborg was of Danish descent. His son, Dale Torborg, is a former professional wrestler and his daughter-in-law, Christi Wolf, is a bodybuilder and former professional wrestler.
Managerial record
External links
Categories: 1941 Births, 2025 Deaths, Major League Baseball Catchers, Los Angeles Dodgers Players, California Angels Players, Minor League Baseball Managers, Major League Baseball Manager Of The Year Award Winners, All-american College Baseball Players, Cleveland Indians Managers, Chicago White Sox Managers, New York Mets Managers, Montreal Expos Managers, Florida Marlins Managers, Atlanta Braves Announcers, New York Yankees Coaches, Major League Baseball Broadcasters, Rutgers Scarlet Knights Baseball Players, Sportspeople From Plainfield, New Jersey, Baseball Players From Union County, New Jersey, Sportspeople From Westfield, New Jersey, Cleveland Indians Coaches, Albuquerque Dukes Players, 20th-century American Sportsmen, Arizona Instructional League Dodgers Players, Westfield High School Alumni, People With Parkinson's Disease
|
|
