DALLAS -- Home run hitter Rocky Colavito, the hero to thousands of Cleveland baseball fans in the 1950s and 1960s, has died. He was 91.
Colavito's family confirmed his death to the Guardians on Tuesday afternoon.
The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Colavito captured Cleveland's imagination with his sheer power in eight years with the Indians. He made his big league debut on Sept. 10, 1955, but it wasn't until 1956 that he turned on the power. Colavito, a right-handed hitter, hit 21 homers in only 322 at-bats to finish second in the AL Rookie of the Year voting.
Colavito hit 190 of his 374 homers with the Indians over two different tenures.
His power was really on display from 1957-59. In that three-run stretch The Rock hit 118 homers. His 42 homers led the AL in 1959.
"Our collective hearts ache at the passing of Rocky," said Bob DiBiasio, Guardians' senior vice president of public affairs. "Rocky was a generational hero, one of the most popular players in franchise history. His popularity was evident across Northeastern Ohio as sandlot players imitated Rocky's on-deck circle routine of kneeling, then as he stepped into the batter's box stretching the bat over his shoulders and pointing the bat at the pitcher.
"I can proudly say I was one of them. Rocky loved our organization and always held the fans in the highest esteem. He would always say, 'I'm thankful God chose me to play in Cleveland.' We send our most sincere condolences to the entire Colavito family, as well as his many teammates and other organization impacted by his passing."
Just before the start of the 1960 season, Cleveland GM Frank Lane shockingly traded Colavito to Detroit for batting champion Harvey Kuenn. It was a trade that soured Cleveland's fan base for decades.
Colavito eventually was brought back to Cleveland from 1965-67. Besides Cleveland and Detroit, Colavito played with Kansas City, the White Sox, Dodgers and Yankees.
Mark Sommer, Colavito's biographer, told cleveland.com Tuesday night that the nine-time All-Star died of natural causes.
He had dealt with assorted health problems in recent months, Sommer said. Colavito had been hospitalized, went into rehab, had another short stint at a hospital, then went home. He and his wife Carmen celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary this year.
"Rocky was an extraordinary and beloved athlete especially in Cleveland and in Northeast Ohio," said Sommer, whose book "Rocky Colavito: Cleveland's Iconic Slugger," came out in 2019. "He's really one of the all-time most popular ballplayers.
"He was someone who loved Cleveland so much. When the statue was unveiled for him a few years ago he thanked God that he got to play in Cleveland. I don't know that Cleveland hears that a lot, but they certainly heard it from him.
"He was a class act. He was known in his playing career for staying after games to sign autographs. That was kind of a hallmark for him. He grew up as a Yankees fan and idolized Joe DiMaggio."
Colavito would wind up with 374 home runs in 14 seasons. DiMaggio finished with 361 in 13 years.
"He always presented himself in the best possible way, and fans loved him for it," Sommer said.