Jesus made his debut on September 10, and the occasion was unique in its own right: Giants’ manager Al Dark had the Alou brothers bat consecutively in the eighth inning, Jesus and Matty as pinch hitters ahead of Felipe. Unfortunately, the Alou trio went 0-for-3 against the Mets’ Carlton Willey.

The Historic Day!

History was made on Sept. 15. Felipe played all three outfield positions, while Matty and Jesus joined him in the outfield as late-inning substitutes. Two days later, Felipe started again and Matty and Jesus moved into the outfield late in the game. On Sept. 22, they played in the outfield together one last time, with Felipe again starting and ultimately playing all three positions before Matty and Jesus flanked him in the late innings. The Alou’s all played in the same game (but not in the outfield) one more time, on Sept. 25, when Felipe started and his brothers pinch-hit.

The next season Felipe was traded to the Milwaukee Braves. The brothers all played at least 15 seasons in the major leagues, but there were no more all-Alou outfields. Over their careers, the three Alou brothers combined for 5094 hits over 47 seasons, including 41 postseason games.

Felipe the Best Of the Three!

Felipe Alou, the oldest of three brothers, was the second ballplayer from the Dominican Republic after Ozzie Virgil, and the first to play regularly and star in the major leagues. He essentially opened the “floodgates” of outstanding baseball talent from that small Carribean country, which, over the years, has produced hundreds of ballplayers. 

Felipe was also the best of the Alou brothers with 2,101 hits over his 17-year major league career (1958-74), with a career average of .286, 206 home runs, and 852 RBIs. Over his career, he played for the Giants, Braves, A’s, Yankees and Expos. He was a three-time All-Star, and once finished fifth in  MVP voting. His best season was 1962, when he hit  .316 with 25 home runs and 98 RBIs. In seven postseason games, he hit .269. Felipe later managed the Expos (1992-2001) and the Giants (2003-2006). He was named the National League Manager of the Year for 1994. 

Felipe’s son Moisés, is also a former major league outfielder. Another son, Luis Rojas, is a baseball coach in the Mets organization.  Mel Rojas, Felipe’s nephew and cousin of Moisés, pitched in the majors for ten seasons. 

Matty, a two-time All-Star, played for eight teams over his 15 seasons in the Big Show (1960-1974).  He compiled a .307 career average with 31 home runs and 427 RBIs. His best season was 1966, when he won the National League batting title (.342) to go along with a .373 on-base percentage. He was a member of the 1972 World Series champion Athletics. Matty passed away in 2011.

Jesus (Jay) played for five teams over his 15 seasons in the majors, with a .280 lifetime batting average, 32 home runs, and 377 RBIs. He was a member of both the 1973 and 1974 World Series champion Athletics. 

Is it Alou…or Rojas?

Here’s one oddity: The family name in the Dominican Republic is Rojas, but Felipe Alou and his brothers became known by the name “Alou” when the Giants’ scout who signed Felipe mixed up his name with Felipe’s maternal side family name. And so that’s how the Dominican Rojas family became known as the baseball Alou’s!

So let’s take a moment to remember one of the best baseball families in the history of the game, the Alous!