Rocky Colavito, the power-hitting right fielder who was among the most popular players in Cleveland baseball history and one of 18 players to hit four home runs in one MLB game, died on Tuesday. He was 91.
"Our collective hearts ache at the passing of Rocky,” said Guardians senior vice president/public affairs Bob DiBiasio. “Rocky was a generational hero, one of the most popular players in franchise history. His popularity was evident across Northeast Ohio as sandlot ballplayers everywhere imitated Rocky’s on-deck circle routine of kneeling, then as he stepped into the batter’s box the stretching the bat over the 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 am 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 organizations impacted by his passing.”