Jeff Torborg obit

Jeff Torborg, former major league catcher and manager, dies

 He was not on the list.

Jeff Torborg, the former catcher who caught Sandy Koufax's perfect game and was the 1990 American League Manager of the Year with the Chicago White Sox, died Sunday. He was 83.

The White Sox said on social media that Torborg died in his hometown of Westfield, New Jersey. A cause of death wasn't given.

"I am heartbroken," former White Sox player and manager Ozzie Guillen posted on X. "My mentor and my friend has passed away. Someone who truly understood me and gave me a chance to lead, to be a captain. So much of my way of managing and being in a clubhouse came from him."

Torborg was behind the plate for three no-hitters, the first with Koufax and the Los Angeles Dodgers for the perfect game against the Chicago Cubs in 1965. Torborg had the second in 1970 with Bill Singer for the Dodgers against Philadelphia, then in 1973 with the Angels caught the first of Nolan Ryan's record seven no-hitters in a game against Kansas City.

After starring at Westfield High School and Rutgers University, Torborg spent 10 seasons in the majors as player -- the first seven with the Dodgers and the last three with the Angels. He hit .214 with eight homers and 101 RBIs in 574 games.

He began his managing career with Cleveland in 1977 at the age of 35 and was let go in 1979. He was with the White Sox from 1989 to 1991 and also had stints with the New York Mets (1992-93), Montreal (2000) and Florida (2002-03). He was the AL Manager of the Year in 1990, leading the White Sox to 94 victories.

"RIP Jeff Torborg!" former White Sox slugger Frank Thomas said on X. "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. God Bless the Torborg family."

Torborg also spent time as a broadcaster.

Torborg grew up in Westfield, New Jersey, where he was the catcher on the Westfield High School baseball team. He attended Rutgers University and played college baseball for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights from 1961 to 1963. In 1963, Torborg had a .537 batting average and was named an All-American.

Torborg with the Dodgers in 1964

The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Torborg as an amateur free agent in 1963. After playing in the minor leagues in 1963, Torborg made the Dodgers' roster as their third-string catcher in 1964 behind John Roseboro and Doug Camilli. On September 9, 1965, Torborg caught Sandy Koufax's perfect game. On July 20, 1970, he was the catcher receiving Bill Singer's no-hitter.

On March 13, 1971, the Dodgers sold Torborg's contract to the California Angels. On May 15, 1973, Torborg also caught the first of Nolan Ryan's seven no-hitters. He was traded from the Angels to the St. Louis Cardinals for John Andrews at the Winter Meetings on December 6, 1973. On March 25, 1974, he was released by Cardinals.

In 1977, Torborg became the bullpen coach of the Cleveland Indians. During the season, the Indians fired manager Frank Robinson and Torborg assumed the position, which he held for three years. He was a coach on the New York Yankees from 1979 to 1988. In 1989, Torborg left the Yankees to become the manager of the Chicago White Sox. A year after he took the helm, the White Sox won 94 games, which was a 25-game improvement from the team's 1989 season. For his efforts with the 1990 White Sox, Torborg won the American League Manager of the Year Award. Torborg stayed with the White Sox for one more year before moving to the New York Mets on a four-year deal of $1.7 million that dwarfed his previous deal of $250,000 a year.

A year after leading the White Sox to an 87–75 (.537) win-loss record, Torborg's 1992 New York Mets posted a 70–92 (.432) record. After starting the 1993 season with a 13–25 (.342) record, the Mets fired Torborg and replaced him with Dallas Green.

For the rest of the 1990s, Torborg worked as a sportscaster for the likes of CBS Radio and Fox. At CBS Radio, Torborg served as a color commentator for three World Series (1995–1997) alongside Vin Scully. While at Fox, Torborg served as a color commentator from 1996–2000.

Torborg returned to managing in May of 2001 to replace Felipe Alou with a three-year deal. When Jeffrey Loria, who had owned the Expos, sold the team and bought the Florida Marlins in 2002, he brought Torborg to Florida with him to serve as manager. The team went 79–83 (.488) that year. After starting the 2003 season with a 16–22 (.421) record, the Marlins fired Torborg. Jack McKeon was hired to replace him and led the team to a 2003 World Series victory.

Torborg returned to broadcasting for Fox. He served as the color commentator for Atlanta Braves games on FSN South and Turner South in 2006, where he was partnered with Bob Rathbun. Neither Torborg nor Rathbun was retained for the 2007 season.

MLB statistics

Batting average            .214

Home runs            8

Runs batted in            101

Managerial record  634–718

Winning %            .469

Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Managerial record at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Teams

As player

Los Angeles Dodgers (1964–1970)

California Angels (1971–1973)

As manager

 

Cleveland Indians (1977–1979)

Chicago White Sox (1989–1991)

New York Mets (1992–1993)

Montreal Expos (2001)

Florida Marlins (2002–2003)

As coach

 

New York Yankees (1979–1988)

Career highlights and awards

World Series champion (1965)

AL Manager of the Year (1990)