Former Yankee and three-time All-Star Joe Pepitone has died at the age of 82, the team announced Monday. The cause of death was not disclosed.
“The Yankees are deeply saddened by the passing of former Yankee Joe Pepitone, whose playful, charismatic personality and contributions on the field made him a favorite of generations of Yankees fans even beyond his years with the team in the 1980s. 1960,” the Yankees said in a statement.
“As a New York native, he embraced everything about being a Yankee during his playing career, which included three All-Star Game appearances and three Gold Gloves, and in the decades since. You always knew when Joe walked into a room: his immense pride in being a Yankee was always on display. He will be missed by our entire organization and we offer our deepest condolences to his family, friends of his and everyone who knew him.”
Pepitone was born in Brooklyn and signed with the Yankees in 1958 as an amateur. He played with the Yankees from 1962-69. The three-time Gold Glove winner also played for the Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves during his 12-year career.
In 1963, Pepitone’s second season, he was selected to play in his first All-Star Game and went on to help the Yankees win 104 games in the regular season. The Bombers won the American League pennant, but were swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.
That year, Pepitone slashed .271/.304/.448 with 27 home runs and 89 RBIs in 157 games.
Pepitone and the Yankees made it to the World Series the following year in 1964, but again fell short, losing to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games.
The Yankees traded Pepitone to the Astros before the 1970 season and again to the Cubs midway through the season. His tenure in Atlanta lasted only 3 games, which were the last games of his major league career.
For his career, Pepitone slashed .258/.301./.432 with 219 home runs and 721 RBIs in 1,397 games.