Jeff Torborg, the former Mets manager who caught three no-hitters and won a World Series as a player, died Sunday. He was 83.
Torborg had battled Parkinson’s disease since 2010, though his official cause of death was not announced. He died in his hometown of Westfield, N.J., according to another of his former clubs, the Chicago White Sox.
“RIP Jeff Torborg,” Hall of Fame White Sox slugger Frank Thomas wrote on social media. “You were my first big league manager and I enjoyed playing for you. You gave me a chance to shine right away and I’m very thankful.”
Torborg was part of several clubs during his playing and managing career. In New York, he was best known as manager of the Mets beginning in 1992 before he was fired early in the 1993 season. He also spent nearly a decade on the Yankees’ coaching staff from 1979 to 1988.
“I knew there was a challenge here,” he said before his last game as Mets manager. “I just wish I was able to get more out of the team than I did, that’s all.”
On the field, Torborg was a backup catcher who hit .214 and launched eight home runs in 574 career games. However, he also had the rare distinction of catching three no-hitters during his 10-year career with the Los Angeles Dodgers and California Angels.
In 1965, Torborg caught the last of Sandy Koufax’s four career no-nos, a perfect game against the Chicago Cubs. Five years later, he caught a no-hitter from two-time All-Star Bill Singer, who befuddled the Philadelphia Phillies. And in 1973, he caught the first of Nolan Ryan’s seven career no-hitters as the fireballer dominated the Kansas City Royals.
Torborg was also a member of the 1965 World Series-winning Dodgers squad, though he did not appear in the team’s seven-game victory over the Minnesota Twins.
Along with the White Sox and Mets, he managed the Cleveland Indians, Montreal Expos and Florida Marlins.
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