Longtime baseball man, former player Joe Amalfitano retires

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Longtime baseball adviser, major league coach and former player Joe Amalfitano is calling it a career following 67 years in professional baseball.

The San Francisco Giants announced Sunday that Amalfitano is retiring just shy of his 87th birthday Jan. 23 after 30 years and six different stints with the club.

Amalfitano, a career. 244 hitter with nine homers and 123 RBIs over 10 big league seasons, had most recently been Giants special assistant of player development and spent 16 years in San Francisco's baseball operations department.

He served as a senior advisor to baseball operations for the Dodgers from 2002-04 after concluding his major league coaching career with Los Angeles as the late Tommy Lasorda's third base coach from 1983-98. Signed by the New York Giants in 1954, Amalfitano also coached with the Cubs from 1967-71 and 1978-81, the Giants (1972-75), the Padres (1976-77) and the Reds (1982).

“Joe will go down as one of the best coaches and teachers that our game has ever seen,” Giants executive Brian Sabean said. “More importantly, he’s one of the finest people you could ever meet. His passion and human touch will be sorely missed. We were honored by his presence and contributions. He’s been a true saint in life and in our sport”.

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