Jesús Alou, who left his mark with the Giants and the As and as a member of considered one of baseball’s most well-known households, died on Friday. Alou would have turned 81 later this month.
Alou helped make historical past with the Giants on Sept. 15, 1963 when he and older brothers Felipe and Matty appeared collectively in the identical outfield. The brothers by no means began in the identical sport — Felipe was the Giants’ common proper fielder, Matty was primarily a defensive substitute, and Jesús, the youngest of the trio, was a 21-year-old call-up who wasn’t going to crack an outfield that had Willie Mays in heart subject and Willie McCovey in left.
In an announcement, the Giants mentioned, “Our ideas, prayers and deepest condolences go to the Alou household, his mates and all these whose lives he touched.” The A’s added on Twitter that they had been “heartbroken” by Alou’s passing and that he “will eternally be a member of the A’s household.”
The Dominican Republic-born Alous had been within the outfield collectively within the late innings of two extra video games, and performed in the identical sport eight occasions in all for the Giants that season. The Alou outfield was damaged up when Felipe was traded to Milwaukee Braves that winter.
Jesús spent the primary six seasons of his 15-year profession within the majors with the Giants. He returned to the Bay Space with the A’s late within the 1973 season and hit .306 down the stretch and helped Oakland win its second straight World Sequence title. He and the A’s received the Sequence once more in 1974.
ESPN’s Enrique Rojas was the primary to report Jesús’ dying. He had been a scout with the Crimson Sox since 2002, and the staff confirmed the information by way of Twitter on Friday afternoon. The submit learn, “We're deeply saddened by the passing of Jesús Alou. A 2x World Sequence champion, with over 60 years in baseball as a participant, coach, scout, & ambassador, Jay was the patriarch of the Crimson Sox Dominican Academy & Lindos Sueños, bringing collectively communities inside Crimson Sox Nation.”
Rojas wrote that Jesús had just lately suffered two “cardiovascular accidents”, however was not identified to be coping with a “severe sickness.” Matty, the center Alou brother, died in 2011 on the age of 72. Felipe, the previous Giants supervisor, turns 88 in Might.
Jesús was a profession .280 hitter with 32 house runs and 31 stolen bases with the Giants, Astros, A’s and the Mets. He was picked by the Montreal Expos within the 1968 enlargement draft, however was traded to the Astros with Donn Clendenon for Rusty Staub.
The Alous are nonetheless the one brothers to play all of the outfield spots throughout the identical main league sport. Felipe performed all three outfield positions in that sport, a 13-5 win over the Pirates at Forbes Discipline. Jesús took over for McCovey within the backside of the seventh inning and performed in proper subject, sending his oldest brother to left. Matty got here in for Mays an inning later and performed left, shifting Felipe to heart.
Jesús made his large league debut 5 days earlier than he joined his brothers in the identical outfield, however they made historical past in that sport too: the Alous batted consecutively within the eighth inning in opposition to the Mets, with Jesús and Matty pinch-hitting earlier than Felipe’s spot got here up. They went a mixed 0 for 3 — Jesús and Felipe grounded out and Matty struck out — in opposition to Carlton Willey.
Jesús obtained the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Corridor of Fame Pioneer Award in 2008.
