Rocky Colavito
With Cleveland during two stints and a few seasons in Detroit, muscle-bound Rocky Colavito was a slugging outfielder with legions of admiring fans. A home run champion, Colavito once clubbed four in one game and was named to the All-Star team nine times. On the eve of the 1960 season, he was traded straight up for the reigning batting champion, Harvey Kuenn. When he encountered criticism from some sportswriters in Cleveland, his fans adopted the phrase "Don't Knock The Rock."
Quotes About Colavito
"He was everything a ballplayer should be. Best of all, he had a nickname. Baseball fans love nicknames, especially when they fit." — Akron Beacon Journal columnist Terry Pluto, in his 1994 book, "The Curse of Rocky Colavito"
Quotes From Colavito
"I really believe this - If I would have stayed [in Cleveland], my numbers would have been much better. I don’t know that to be a fact, don’t get me wrong. But I retired at 35. I wasn’t nearly ready to retire. But when you start getting bounced around and you know you can play, it’s tough." — Rocky Colavito on his career
Played For
Cleveland Indians (1955-1959)
Detroit Tigers (1960-1963)
Kansas City Athletics (1964)
Cleveland Indians (1965-1967)
Chicago White Sox (1967)
Los Angeles Dodgers (1968)
New York Yankees (1968)
All-Time Rankings
Rocky Colavito ranks #25 among the Top 50 all-time at RF. Rankings ⇒
Born
Rocco Domenico Colavito was born on August 10, 1933, in New York, NY.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Primary Position: OF
Primary Team: CLE
Major League Debut
September 10, 1955
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1955
Brooks Robinson
Roberto Clemente
Ken Boyer
Rocky Colavito
Clete Boyer
Elston Howard
Sandy Koufax
Jim Bunning
Bill Virdon
Nicknames
The Rock
| Hall of Fame Voting |
| Year |
Election |
Votes |
Pct |
| 1974 |
BBWAA |
2 |
.5% |
1975 |
BBWAA |
1 |
.3% |
|
Batting Feats
- June 10, 1959: 4 HR... Colavito's four homers came in consecutive at-bats... The Indians won the game, 11-8.
- August 27, 1961: 3 HR...
- June 24, 1962: 7 Hits...
- July 5, 1962: 3 HR...
Hitting Streaks
15 games (1961)
All-Star Selections
1959 AL
1961 AL
1962 AL
1964 AL
1965 AL
1966 AL
Learn More about Rocky Colavito
Search Amazon.com for Books about Rocky Colavito ⇒
Search for Rocky Colavito at Google ⇒
View a map of his hometown at Mapquest ⇒
