Jump to content

Jeff Torborg

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jeff Torborg
Torborg with the Yankees in 1982
Catcher / Manager
Born: (1941-11-26)November 26, 1941
Plainfield, New Jersey, U.S.
Died: January 19, 2025(2025-01-19) (aged 83)
Westfield, New Jersey, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
May 10, 1964, for the Los Angeles Dodgers
Last MLB appearance
September 29, 1973, for the California Angels
MLB statistics
Batting average.214
Home runs8
Runs batted in101
Managerial record634–718
Winning %.469
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Managerial record at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams
As player

As manager

As coach

Career highlights and awards

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.

Playing career

[edit]

Torborg grew up in Westfield, New Jersey, where he was the catcher on the Westfield High School baseball team.[1] He attended Rutgers University and played college baseball for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights from 1961 to 1963. In 1963, Torborg had a .537 batting average and was named an All-American.[2]

Torborg with the Dodgers in 1964

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.[2] On July 20, 1970, he was the catcher receiving Bill Singer's no-hitter.[3][4]

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 no-hitters.[2] He was traded from the Angels to the St. Louis Cardinals for John Andrews at the Winter Meetings on December 6, 1973.[5] On March 25, 1974, he was released by Cardinals.[2]

Coaching, managing, and broadcasting career

[edit]

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,[6] 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.[7] 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.[8]

A year after leading the White Sox to an 87–75 (.537) win-loss record, Torborg's 1992 New York Mets posted a 70–92 (.432) record. After starting the 1993 season with a 13–25 (.342) record, the Mets fired Torborg and replaced him with Dallas Green.[9]

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.[10] While at Fox, Torborg served as a color commentator from 1996–2000.[2]

Torborg returned to managing in May of 2001 to replace Felipe Alou with a three-year deal.[11] 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 79–83 (.488) that year. After starting the 2003 season with a 16–22 (.421) record, the Marlins fired Torborg.[12] 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.[13]

Managerial record

[edit]
Team Year Regular season Postseason
Games Won Lost Win % Finish Won Lost Win % Result
CLE 1977 104 45 59 .433 5th in AL East – – – –
CLE 1978 159 69 90 .434 6th in AL East – – – –
CLE 1979 95 43 52 .453 fired – – – –
CLE total 358 157 201 .439 0 0 –
CWS 1989 161 69 92 .429 7th in AL West – – – –
CWS 1990 162 94 68 .580 2nd in AL West – – – –
CWS 1991 162 87 75 .537 2nd in AL West – – – –
CWS total 485 250 235 .515 0 0 –
NYM 1992 162 72 90 .444 5th in NL East – – – –
NYM 1993 38 13 25 .342 fired – – – –
NYM total 200 85 115 .425 0 0 –
MON 2001 109 47 62 .431 5th in NL East – – – –
MON total 109 47 62 .431 0 0 –
FLA 2002 162 79 83 .488 4th in NL East – – – –
FLA 2003 38 16 22 .421 fired – – – –
FLA total 200 95 105 .475 0 0 –
Total[14] 1352 634 718 .469 0 0 –

Personal life and death

[edit]

Torborg was of Danish descent. His son, Dale, is a former professional wrestler and his daughter-in-law, Christi Wolf, is a bodybuilder and former professional wrestler.[15]

Torborg married Suzie Barber on June 6, 1963.[2] For more than 25 years, Torborg lived with his family in a home in Mountainside, New Jersey.[16]

Torborg later developed Parkinson's disease.[17] He died in Westfield, New Jersey on January 19, 2025, at the age of 83.[18]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Merkin, Scott. "Ozzie takes fine in stride" Archived June 29, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Major League Baseball, May 30, 2010. Accessed March 5, 2011. "Torborg was a three-year starting catcher at Westfield High School and an All-American at Rutgers."
  2. ^ a b c d e f Best, Jason. "Jeff Torborg – Society for American Baseball Research".
  3. ^ "Jeff Torborg". baseballbiography.com. Retrieved July 1, 2009.
  4. ^ "Baseball Slate – May 2008 – Most No-Hitters Caught (As of 5–19–08)". Archived from the original on May 22, 2008.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ "An Indian tomahawked - Sports Illustrated Vault | SI.com".
  7. ^ Capezzuto, Tom (February 12, 1989). "New Jersey Q & A: Jeff Torborg; Taking over the White Sox Helm". The New York Times.
  8. ^ "'INSECURE' TORBORG LEAVES SOX". Chicago Tribune. October 11, 1991. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  9. ^ "Mets fire Torborg; name Dallas Green replacement - UPI Archives". UPI. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  10. ^ Stewart, Larry (October 17, 1997). "With Scully and Torborg, Less Is More". Los Angeles Times.
  11. ^ "Expos replace manager Alou with Torborg". chron.com. May 31, 2001. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  12. ^ "Torborg fired as Marlins skipper". The Star Banner. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  13. ^ [1][dead link‍]
  14. ^ "Jeff Torborg". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on August 31, 2017. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  15. ^ Skrbina, Paul (September 4, 2016). "Dale Torborg's journey: From baseball to pro wrestling and back". Chicago Tribune.
  16. ^ Vecsey, George. "Sports of The Times; Torborgs Aren't Selling The House" Archived August 26, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, 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."
  17. ^ "SCF Through the Mail Manager". Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
  18. ^ "Jeff Torborg Passes Away". MLB Trade Rumors. January 19, 2025. Retrieved January 20, 2025.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jeff Torborg.
Preceded by World Series network radio color commentator
1995-1997 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jeff_Torborg&oldid=1270577316"