As of 2011 nearly two dozen of the 350+ brother combinations to play major league baseball consisted of three or more brothers. One family - the Delehantys of Cleveland, Ohio – sent a record five brothers to the majors, including Ed, Frank, Jim, Joe and Tom.
The Dimaggios – Vince, Joe and Dominic – and today’s Molinas – Bengie, Jose and Yadier – are two of the best-known three-brother combinations. Another, the Alous from the Dominican Republic – Felipe, Matty and Jesus – made history in 1963 when they played in the outfield at the same time in a September 15 game.
Felipe Alou’s Baseball Career as Both Player and Manager
Felipe, the oldest of the three Alous to play in the majors, was born May 12, 1935. He had the most success in baseball of the three brothers, finishing his 17-year career with a .286 batting average, 206 home runs, and 852 RBIs while playing in the outfield and at first base.
Felipe signed with the Giants in 1955 and made his major league debut in 1958, the first year the Giants played in San Francisco. He soon became the first Dominican to be a regular starter in the majors.
Alou played for the Giants, Braves, Athletics, Yankees, Expos and Brewers. He was a three-time All-Star and led the National League in hits twice and runs scored once. After his playing career, Felipe managed the Expos and Giants. He was named National League Manager of the Year in 1994 and finished with a career record of 1033-1021.
Matty Alou Plays for 15 Years in the Major Leagues
Mateo (Matty) Alou was born December 22, 1938. He was signed by the Giants in 1957 and made his major league debut in 1960, joining Felipe in San Francisco. Playing in the outfield and at first base, Matty enjoyed a 15-year career with the Giants, Pirates, Cardinals, Athletics, Yankees and Padres.
Matty finished his career with a .307 batting average, 31 home runs and 427 RBIs. He led the National League in batting average in 1966 when he hit .342 (Felipe finished second with a .327 average) and in hits in 1969 with 231. He was a two-time National League All-Star and played on the 1972 Athletics team that won the World Series.
Jesus Alou Joins Brothers Felipe and Matty on the Giants
Jesus Alou, born March 24, 1942, was the youngest of the three Alous to play in the majors. He was considered the best prospect of the three and signed with the Giants in 1958.
Starting in 1963, Jesus played 15 seasons in the majors as an outfielder and occasional designated hitter. Playing for the Giants, Astros, Athletics and Mets, he finished his career with a .280 batting average while hitting 32 home runs and driving in 377 runs. Perhaps Jesus’ most memorable game statistically came on July 10, 1964, when he had six hits off six different Cubs pitchers in a Giants’ 10-3 victory.
Jesus was a two-time World Series champion, winning with the Athletics in 1973 and 1974.
Alous Play Together in Two Games for Giants
In late 1963 the Giants called Jesus up from the minor leagues, joining him with Felipe and Matty on the Giants roster. On September 10 the Giants visited their old home at the Polo Grounds in New York to play the Mets. The home team took an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the 1st inning and then added on another tally in the 5th inning.
The Mets still held a three-run lead when the Giants came to bat in the top of the 8th inning. Jose Pagan was scheduled to lead off but manager Alvin Dark sent in Jesus Alou to pinch hit, marking Alou’s first appearance in a major league game.
Jesus grounded out to shortstop Al Moran and then Dark brought in Matty to pinch hit for pitcher Bob Garibaldi. Matty made the second out when he struck out and then the Giants lead-off hitter, Felipe, batted and ground out to Garibaldi. This marked the first time three brothers batted consecutively in the same inning.
Five days later, on September 15, the Alous again made history. Felipe started in right field in a game at Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field. The Giants jumped out to an early lead on a Willie Mays three-run home run in the 1st inning and blew the game open in the 7th inning they scored five runs. In the bottom of the frame Dark sent Jesus into the game in place of Willie McCovey and then directed Felipe to move over to left field and Jesus to right field.
The Giants scored another four runs in the top of the 8th inning to build a 12-3 lead. In the bottom of that inning, with the game well in hand, Dark took more of his starters out of the contest. First, he replaced first baseman Orlando Cepeda with Norm Larker. Then Dark put Matty in the game in place of center fielder Willie Mays; Felipe then moved from left field to center field and Matty took over in left field, while Jesus stayed in right field. This marked the first (and, as of 2011, only) time in major league history that brothers occupied all three outfield spots at the same time.
Felipe was traded from the Giants after the 1963 season and the brothers never again played together in the same team.
Sources
Baseball Almanac website.
Kevin Schindler - I have worked at scientific institutions for more than 20 years written more than 200 articles about science, history, and baseball.
Join the Conversation