Matty Alou

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Matty Alou (1960s)

Mateo Rojas "Matty" Alou (born December 22, 1938 in Bajos de Haina, Dominican Republic) is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball for the San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, and San Diego Padres. He was the middle baseball-playing brother of the trio that included Felipe and Jesús.

Alou was a platoon player for the Giants for several years and was mostly unremarkable. His finest moment in San Francisco came in 1962 when his pinch-hit bunt single in the final game of a three-game tie-breaking playoff against the Los Angeles Dodgers began the rally that won the game and the pennant for the Giants. He batted .333 in the Giants' losing effort against the Yankees in that year's World Series. After Alou was traded to the Pirates before the 1966 season, he received instruction from expert hitting instructor Harry "the Hat" Walker that helped turn him into a formidable batter. He won the batting title with a .342 average, with his brother Felipe finishing second, and finished in the top five in hitting four more times after that (1967-69, 1971). He also led the league in at bats twice (1969-70), hits once (1969) and doubles once (1969). After leaving the major leagues following the 1974 season, he played three seasons in Japan (Taiheiyo Club Lions) and managed in the Dominican Winter League.