Joe Pignatano

Joseph Benjamin Pignatano (August 4, 1929 – May 23, 2022) was an American professional baseball player and coach. As a catcher, Pignatano played in Major League Baseball (MLB) during all or part of six seasons (1957–1962) for the Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodgers (1957–1960), Kansas City Athletics, San Francisco Giants (1962), and New York Mets (1962). After his playing career, he was a coach for the Mets, Washington Senators, and Atlanta Braves.

Pignatano was a Brooklyn native. He signed with his hometown Dodgers in 1948, and spent almost seven full seasons, interrupted by two years of military service, in their farm system before three brief auditions with the 1957 big-league team. He was a member of the 1959 World Series-champion Dodgers as a player and the 1969 World Series-champion Mets as a coach.

Early life Pignatano was born on August 4, 1929, in Brooklyn, New York. He attended George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School in downtown Brooklyn.

Playing career Pignatano signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers following a tryout in 1948. The Dodgers moved to Los Angeles during the off-season. Pignatano then appeared in one inning as a defensive replacement (in Game 5) of the 1959 World Series and earned a world championship ring when the Dodgers prevailed over the Chicago White Sox in six games. in a trade that was partly motivated by the Dodgers' need for cash to complete the construction of Dodger Stadium. He was a semi-regular for the 1961 Athletics, splitting the catching duties with Haywood Sullivan, but offensive struggles limited his MLB playing time. Pignatano played in seven games for the San Francisco Giants in 1962 before he was sold to the New York Mets.

As a coach After his 15-year professional playing career ended in 1964, Pignatano was a coach for the Washington Senators (1965–1967), New York Mets (1968–1981), and Atlanta Braves (1982–1984), working under Gil Hodges from 1965 to 1971 and earning a second World Series ring with the 1969 "Miracle Mets." During his years as the Mets' bullpen coach, Pignatano cultivated a vegetable garden in the bullpen, and was often out on the field during batting practice engaging with the young Mets fans.

Personal life Pignatano resided in Southwest Florida. He was married for 66 years to his wife Nancy. Together, they had two children, Neil and Frank, and two grandchildren. Nancy Pignatano died on May 14, 2020, at the age of 86. Joe Pignatano died of dementia in Naples, Florida, on May 23, 2022, at the age of 92.