Joe Garagiola, former MLB player turned broadcaster, dies at 90
PHOENIX -- Former big league catcher and popular broadcaster Joe Garagiola has died. He was 90.
The Arizona Diamondbacks say Garagiola died Wednesday. He had been in ill health in recent years.
Garagiola thrived in his post-retirement career as a glib baseball broadcaster and fixture on the "Today" show. He played eight seasons in the majors, but generations of fans knew him for his 57-year career in broadcasting, including a 30-year association with NBC.
We are deeply saddened by the loss of baseball legend and former #Dbacks broadcaster Joe Garagiola. pic.twitter.com/ojaWGp05oC
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) March 23, 2016
He won baseball's Ford C. Frick Award for excellence in broadcasting in 1991. Garagiola kept working well into his 80s, serving as a part-time analyst for Diamondbacks telecasts.
CBS Sports reported Garagiola was born and raised in St. Louis, and was signed by the Cardinals in 1942 and broke into the majors at age 20 in 1946. The rookie catcher would win a World Series ring with his hometown team that very season.
Garagiola would play parts of nine seasons in the majors, mostly with the Cardinals but he also had stops with the Pirates, Cubs and Giants. He would hit .257/.354/.385 with 481 hits, 82 doubles, 42 homers and 255 RBI, CBS Sports reported.
It wasn't really about the numbers during his playing career, though.
Garagiola would become well-known for his career as a long-time broadcaster.
Most notably, he worked color alongside Vin Scully on the "Game of the Week" and also several All-Star, NLCS and World Seriesgames. He was on the call with Scully for the famous Kirk Gibson home run in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, CBS Sports reported.