Jeff Torborg, who had a long career in Major League Baseball as a player, coach, manager, and broadcaster, passed away at 83 on Sunday morning.
Torborg played for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1964 to 1970 and the California Angels from 1971 to 1973. His career also included stints with the Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox, New York Mets, Montreal Expos, and Florida Marlins, as well as work with CBS Radio and FOX Sports.
The cause of his death has not been disclosed, although Torborg had been battling Parkinson’s disease in recent years.
While Jeff Torborg wasn’t known for piling up eye-popping statistics during his playing days, he certainly made significant contributions in key moments.
In 1965, Torborg caught Sandy Koufax’s legendary perfect game, one of the most celebrated pitching performances in MLB history. Later that year, Torborg and the Dodgers went on to win the World Series.
Torborg also caught no-hitters from Bill Singer in 1970 and Nolan Ryan in 1973—Ryan would go on to throw six more no-hitters in his Hall of Fame career.
Torborg’s playing career ended when the Angels traded him to the St. Louis Cardinals, but he was released before the 1974 season and never played professionally again. Over his career, he posted a .214 batting average with 297 hits, eight home runs, 101 RBIs, a .533 OPS, and a 0.4 WAR.
Quickly returning to baseball, Torborg became Cleveland’s bullpen coach in 1977 and took over as their manager midway through that season, holding the role until 1979.
He spent much of the 1980s coaching with the Yankees before being hired as the Chicago White Sox manager in 1989. In 1990, he led the team to a 94-win season, earning AL Manager of the Year honors.
After a brief stint as Mets manager in 1992, Torborg was fired early in 1993. He later moved to the broadcast booth before returning to managing with the Montreal Expos in 2001. When Jeffrey Loria took over the Marlins in 2002, he brought Torborg on board.
Torborg managed Florida to a 16-22 start in 2003 before being let go, with the Marlins going on to win the World Series under Jack McKeon. Throughout his managerial career, Torborg posted a 634-718 record.