Rocky Colavito

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Born in the Bronx as a devoted Yankees fan, Colavito dropped out of high school at sixteen to play semi-pro ball. The Cleveland Indians signed him on January 1, 1951, at age 17 after scout Mike McNally witnessed his powerful throwing arm at Yankee Stadium. He made his MLB debut on September 10, 1955, finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting with 21 home runs. By 1958, wearing number 6, he batted a career-high .303 with 41 home runs and led the AL in slugging (.620), finishing third in MVP balloting. The following year, on June 10, he achieved the rare feat of hitting four consecutive home runs against the Baltimore Orioles, a game he later called the highlight of his career in a 2021 interview. Colavito also became the first outfielder in AL history to complete a season without making an error. Despite his success, his time with Cleveland was cut short when General Manager Frank Lane traded him to the Detroit Tigers for Harvey Kuenn on April 17, 1960, just two days before Opening Day.

In Their Own Story

The trade that sent Colavito to Detroit on April 17, 1960, remains one of the most unpopular in franchise history. However, his relationship with Detroit Free Press writer Joe Falls turned tense after Falls began tracking Colavito's "Run Not Batted In" (RNBI) statistic. The friction escalated when Falls, acting as an official scorer, charged Colavito with a controversial error, leading to a confrontation. Tensions also flared on May 12, 1961, when Colavito was ejected for climbing into the stands at Yankee Stadium to protect his father and wife from a drunken fan. Despite holding out for a higher salary than star Al Kaline in 1962, Colavito continued to perform, hitting 37 home runs that year. He eventually returned to Cleveland in January 1965 as part of a three-team deal involving the White Sox and Royals, where he hit a two-run homer at the home opener before leading the AL in RBI with 108.

Reader's Guide

Colavito's career was defined by consistent power; he averaged 33 home runs per year for his first eleven seasons, exceeding 40 three times. He is the fifth player in American League history to hit at least 20 home runs for eleven consecutive seasons (1956–1966). At retirement in 1968, he ranked third among AL right-handed hitters with 374 home runs and eighth in games played as a right fielder (1,272). His defensive prowess was notable; in 1965, he played all 162 games for Cleveland without committing an error, though he did not win a Gold Glove. After his playing days ended, Colavito served as a color commentator for WJW and later returned to coaching with the Indians and Kansas City Royals. In March 1968, he finished his career with stints at the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees after being released by the White Sox.

Did You Know?

• Colavito was the first outfielder in AL history to complete a season without making an error.
• On June 10, 1959, he became only the second player in AL history to hit four consecutive home runs in a nine-inning game.
• He dropped out of high school at age sixteen but had to wait one year after his class graduated due to MLB rules before signing professionally.
• In 2001, Colavito was voted one of the 100 greatest players in Cleveland Indians' history by a panel of veterans and historians.
• Colavito pitched three hitless innings for Cleveland against the Detroit Tigers on August 13, 1958.