Rocky Colavito, an American professional baseball player, coach, television sports commentator, and the namesake of “The Curse,” passes away at 91.
The All-Star slugger for Cleveland, Rocky Colavito’s demise, was announced by the Cleveland Guardians through their official social media on Wednesday, December 11, 2024.
Rocky Colavito passed away on December 10, 2024, in Bernville, Pennsylvania, United States.
The Cleveland Guardians are deeply saddened by the loss of Rocky Colavito. Beloved by fans, Rocky spent eight of his fourteen MLB seasons with Cleveland. He represented the club in three All-Star Games while finishing top-5 in MVP voting on three occasions.
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) December 11, 2024
Our thoughts go out… pic.twitter.com/9oB22dwb7m
The post stated, “The Cleveland Guardians are deeply saddened by the loss of Rocky Colavito. Beloved by fans, Rocky spent eight of his fourteen MLB seasons with Cleveland. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends during this time.“
However, neither the team nor Rocky’s family members have revealed any details about his demise.
In response to the tragic news, many of Rocky’s fans and loved ones send their heartfelt condolences to his wife, Carmen, his sons, Rocky Jr. and Steven, and his daughter, Marisa, in their difficult phase.
Rocky Colavito was not just popular for his baseball skills but was also famous as Cleveland Guardians, formerly Cleveland Indians’ Curse.
Over time, fans and sportswriters began to refer to Cleveland Guardians’ series of misfortunes as the “Rocky Colavito Curse.“
However, despite the claims of a curse on the team, Rocky Colavito has denied ever placing one, and the team officially never acknowledged it.
The Rocky Colavito Curse began in 1960 after the controversial trade of the late MLB star!
The Rocky Colavito Curse is a belief that the Cleveland Guardians, formerly the Cleveland Indians, suffered a prolonged misfortune following the controversial 1960 trade.
Moreover, the Cleveland Indians traded their star player, Rocky Colavito, to the Detroit Tigers in exchange for Harvey Kuenn, often cited as a turning point that led to decades of poor performance and bad luck for the team.
"Rocky Colavito was everything a ball player should be. Best of all, he had a nickname. Baseball fans love nicknames, especially when they fit."
— Jim Koenigsberger (@Jimfrombaseball) December 11, 2024
Terry Pluto, Akron Beacon Journal
"As I’ve said before, and I’ll repeat myself, I never put any curse on them. I never did anything… pic.twitter.com/Z9tBfIR7WT
The trade also upset many fans because Rocky Colavito was one of the best hitters in the league at the time, known for his powerful home runs.
Similarly, the Cleveland team didn’t win a World Series after the trade and often had losing seasons.
Kuenn Harvey also stayed in Cleveland for only one season, and the team’s performance declined. Meanwhile, Colavito continued to thrive as a hitter.
Despite the curse, Rocky Colavito remained beloved in Cleveland and was inducted into the Cleveland Guardians Hall of Fame in 2006.
In case you didn’t know
- Rocky Colavito was born Rocco Domenico on August 10, 1933, in The Bronx, New York, United States.
- At 16, after his sophomore year at Theodore Roosevelt High School, he dropped out to play semi-professional baseball, which helped him pursue his dreams of playing in the MLB.
- Rocky made his MLB debut on September 10, 1955, for the Cleveland Indians, wearing number 38.
- On August 11, 2015, he had to have his right leg amputated below the knee due to problems with Type 2 diabetes, which he had suffered for several years.
