| Frank Torre | |
|---|---|
 | |
| First baseman | |
| Born:(1931-12-30)December 30, 1931 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. | |
| Died: September 13, 2014(2014-09-13) (aged 82) Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 20, 1956, for the Milwaukee Braves | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 29, 1963, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .273 |
| Home runs | 13 |
| Runs batted in | 179 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Frank Joseph Torre (/ˈtɒri/; December 30, 1931 – September 13, 2014) was anAmerican professionalbaseball player. He played inMajor League Baseball as afirst baseman. Torre, who batted and threw left-handed, played for theMilwaukee Braves (1956–60) andPhiladelphia Phillies (1962–63). He was the older brother ofBaseball Hall of Fame memberJoe Torre, himself a former Major League Baseball player and longtime manager.[1] Torre attended James Madison High School in his native Brooklyn, New York.[2]
Signed by theBoston Braves as an amateur free agent in1950,[3] Torre spent four seasons in the Braves'farm system. He debuted with the team in1956 (the Braves had since moved toMilwaukee) and played in 111 games, most of them as a backup. Hehit .258 in 159at-bats.
Torre's two best seasons were in1957 and1958; in the former year, he batted .272 with 5home runs and 40runs batted in. He also tied a National League record that year byscoring six runs in one game, the first game of a September 2doubleheader against theChicago Cubs atWrigley Field, which the Braves won 23–10.[4] The Braves defeated theNew York Yankees inthat year's World Series; Torre homered twice in the Series, which the Braves won in seven games on the strength ofLew Burdette's three victories. In1958 Torre established career highs in batting average (.309), home runs (six) and runs batted in (55) as the Braves repeated as National League champions. However, the Yankees defeated Milwaukee intheir World Series rematch after trailing 2–0 and 3–1 in the series. In the second inning of the seventh and final game, the normally sure-handed fielder was charged with throwing errors on consecutive plays, which allowed the Yankees to take a 2–0 lead without the benefit of a hit. The Braves went on to lose the game 6–2 and the series.
In his career Torre played 714 games, batting .273 with 13 home runs and 179 RBIs. He was also a difficult man tostrike out, fanning only 64 times in 1482 at-bats, or one per 23.2 at-bats. Torre also was an accomplished gloveman, often replacingJoe Adcock late in close games. Torre ledNational League first basemen infielding percentage in 1957 and 1958 and finished his career with a .993 fielding percentage. He committed only 28 errors in 564 games.
In 1996, as his brotherJoe was managing the New York Yankees to aWorld Series title over theAtlanta Braves, Torre received aheart transplant from doctorsMehmet Oz andEric Rose after a two-and-a-half month wait.[5] Due to its proximity to Yankee Stadium, Joe brought him toNew York-Presbyterian Hospital for the procedure.[6] Many were worried about Torre dealing with the pressure of watching his brother, but he watched from his hospital bed as Joe managed the Yankees to the World Series title the next night.[7] As in the 1958 World Series against Frank's Milwaukee Braves, the Yankees had rallied from a 0–2 deficit to win this Series, taking the next four games.
Torre served as a Vice President of theBaseball Assistance Team, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to helping former Major League, Minor League and Negro league players through financial and medical hardships.[8]
In 2006, it was reported that Frank needed a kidney transplant as a result of the medication he had been taking for his heart. A year later he received a kidney from his daughter Liz.[7]
Torre died at age 82 in a hospice inPalm Beach Gardens, Florida, on September 13, 2014.[9][10]