Dodgers World Series Champion Outfielder Dies at 84
Former Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Al “The Bull” Ferrara passed away, the team announced on Friday. He was 84 years old.
Ferrara had reportedly been in the hospital with pneumonia.
Ferrara called himself a “real Brooklyn Dodger,” while speaking at Loyola Marymount in 2018. He grew up in Brooklyn and only knew the Dodgers. When he attended his first Dodgers game at seven years old, he knew then that he would be wearing that jersey one day.
Right there and then, that’s what I want to be, I want to be a baseball player,” he said.
The date of that game happened to be April 15, 1947. It was the major league debut of Jackie Robinson.
Brooklyn was the only MLB team to offer him a contract right out of high school. In 1963, he finally got the chance to suit up for Los Angeles, a team he had dreamed about playing for his whole life. One of the highlights for Ferrara was hearing legendary broadcaster Vin Scully call out his hits and home runs — a moment that made his Dodgers dream feel complete.
Although he didn’t become a key player until 1966, Ferrara was deeply appreciative to be part of two championship teams. Beating the Yankees in 1963, he said, was the “greatest thrill” of his career.
Ferrara debuted with the Dodgers in 1963. He went to spend parts of five of his nine seasons in the big leagues in blue.
He appeared in 21 games his rookie season and batted .159 with seven hits including one home run, one run driven in and two runs scored. He didn’t become an everyday player until 1967 when he played in 122 games.
A broken ankle in 1969 forced Ferrara to leave his favorite team and he signed with the San Diego Padres as a member of the inaugural team. He spent parts of three seasons with the Padres before ending his career in Cincinnati where played alongside Pete Rose.
Ferrara was a career .259 hitter with 60 doubles, seven triples, 51 home runs, 148 runs scored, and 198 RBIs.
Photo Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
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