CHICAGO (WGN) — Jeff Torborg, a former MLB catcher and manager of the Chicago White Sox, died this morning in Westfield, New Jersey, the team announced on X.
Torborg managed the White Sox from 1989 to 1991, which included him being voted American League Manager of the Year in 1990. It was a year in which the Sox finished 94-68 — a 25-game improvement from the year prior.
Signed as an amateur free agent by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1963, Torborg played ten MLB seasons and was a member of the Dodgers’ World Series championship team in 1965.
According to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, he caught Sandy Koufax’s perfect game, Bill Singer’s no-hitter and Nolan Ryan’s first career no-hitter.
Torborg batted .214 with eight home runs and 101 RBI in 1,391 career at-bats between Los Angeles (1964-70) and the California Angels (1971-73).
In between stints in his managerial career, Torborg worked as a sportscaster for CBS Radio and Fox. At CBS Radio, Torborg served as a color commentator for three World Series from 1995 to 1997 alongside Vin Scully.
Torborg died in his hometown where he grew up playing baseball for Westfield High School. He went on to become an All-American catcher at Rutgers University where he set the school record for batting average in a single season — .537 in 1963. Only two college players have had a higher single-season batting average since.
Torborg is survived by his two children, Dale Torborg and Christi Wolf, who are both former professional wrestlers.