Joe Garagiola, Former MLB Player And Broadcaster, Dies At 90

Joe Garagiola, who played nine MLB seasons and then began a 58-year broadcasting career, died on Wednesday at the age of 90.

Former MLB Player And Broadcaster Joe Garagiola Dies At 90

“Joe was one of a kind and I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to get to know him and his family,” Diamondbacks managing general partner Ken Kendrick said in a statement. “His sense of humor certainly stood out to all of us, but perhaps more importantly, the mark he left in the community around him will carry on his legacy for generations to come.”

As Kendrick stated, Garagiola was adored by many because of his quick wit and humor. He received the 1991 Ford Frick Award from the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Garagiola, who was a St. Louis native, was childhood friends with New York Yankees Hall of Famer Yogi Berra. Garagiola was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as a 16-year-old, before Berra signed with the Yankees. He later said, “Not only was I not the best catcher in the major leagues, I wasn’t even the best catcher on my street.” As a rookie, Garagiola and Cardinals defeated the Ted Williams-led Boston Red Sox in the 1946 World Series.

Garagiola spent nearly five seasons with the Cardinals, but then went to Pittsburgh to play with the Pirates in 1951. Two years later, he began playing for the Chicago Cubs, and finally finished his playing career in 1954 with the San Francisco Giants.

Over the course of his nine-year career, the famous catcher hit 0.257 with 42 home runs and 255 RBIs.

Garagiola started his career as a broadcaster in 1955,calling Cardinals games on KMOX radio from 1955-62. During that time, he also wrote a book entitled, “Baseball is a Funny Game,” which was published in 1960.

Garagiola then began announcing games on television when he was hired by NBC in 1961. He and legendary fellow sportscaster Vin Scully became the sport’s broadcasting dream team starting in 1983, and called Three World Series, three All-Star Games and three National League Championship Series together.

Garagiola then served as a guest commentator over the next ten years, and joined the Arizona Diamondbacks broadcast team in 1998 and was a part-time color commentator for the team until his retirement in 2013.

He also earned the 2014 Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award.

“You get a call from the Hall of Fame, especially the way I played, you wonder what they want,” Garagiola said then. “They certainly don’t want my bat, they don’t want my glove.”

Beyond his career as a broadcaster, Garagiola also scored guest spots on “The Today Show” and “The Tonight Show,” called various parades and hosted several game shows — most notably “The Match Game” in the late 1970s.

The catcher was also a longtime advocate against tobacco products after quitting smoking in the late 1950s. He had a brain tumor removed in 2009.

Garagiola was married to his wife Audrie for over 60 years. Together, they had three children. Joe Jr. is the senior vice president of standards and on-field operations for MLB and former general manager of the Diamondbacks. Steve and Gina Garagiola both followed their father’s footsteps and became broadcasters.

Caption:PHOENIX – JULY 03: Broadcaster Joe Garagiola sits in the dugout before the Major League Baseball game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on July 3, 2010 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)