40 Facts About Joe Girardi

1.

Joseph Elliott Girardi was born on October 14,1964 and is an American former professional baseball player and manager in Major League Baseball.

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2.

Joe Girardi played the catcher position for the Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, New York Yankees, and St Louis Cardinals during a big league playing career that spanned from 1989 to 2003.

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3.

Joe Girardi won three World Series championships with the Yankees in the 1990s and served as the catcher for both Dwight Gooden's no-hitter and David Cone's perfect game.

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4.

Joe Girardi managed the Yankees from 2008 to 2017, winning the 2009 World Series over the Phillies.

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5.

Joe Girardi served as an analyst for MLB Network and Fox Sports for two years before being named manager of the Philadelphia Phillies in October 2019; he was fired midway through the 2022 season.

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6.

Joe Girardi, the fourth son of Jerry, a former blue collar worker and United States Air Force veteran, and Angela Joe Girardi, was born in Peoria, Illinois, and grew up in East Peoria, Illinois and attended high school at the Spalding Institute.

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7.

Joe Girardi enrolled at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where he attended from 1983 through 1986.

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8.

Joe Girardi played for the Northwestern Wildcats baseball team, where he was a two-time All Big Ten selection and a three-time Academic All-American.

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9.

Joe Girardi was the first freshman to be elected president of a fraternity at Northwestern.

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10.

Joe Girardi spent four seasons in the Cubs minor leagues system before making his major league debut.

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11.

Joe Girardi made his Major League debut for the Cubs on April 4,1989.

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12.

Joe Girardi played in 124 games during the 1996 season, batting.

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13.

In Game 6 of the 1996 World Series against the Atlanta Braves, Joe Girardi hit an RBI triple against Greg Maddux that helped the Yankees win that game and ultimately the World Series.

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14.

In 2000, Joe Girardi left the Yankees and returned to the Cubs, where he was named to that year's All-Star team, as an injury replacement for Mike Piazza.

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15.

On June 22,2002, Joe Girardi was asked to speak to the hometown crowd after the Cubs' nationally televised matchup with the St Louis Cardinals was cancelled by Commissioner Bud Selig, after Cardinals pitcher Darryl Kile was found dead earlier that day.

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16.

Joe Girardi never specified what had happened, instead asking fans to be respectful of the matter as they found out about it on their own and to pray.

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17.

On December 16,2002, Joe Girardi signed a one-year, $750,000 contract with the St Louis Cardinals.

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18.

Joe Girardi appeared in just 16 games, accumulating 23 at-bats in which he batted.

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19.

Joe Girardi hosted the youth-oriented Yankees on Deck, received good reviews and was offered a larger role on 2005 Yankee broadcasts.

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20.

Joe Girardi managed a game during a Joe Torre suspension, a loss to the Kansas City Royals.

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21.

Joe Girardi remained the host of Kids on Deck in 2005, having shot his shows before spring training.

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22.

Joe Girardi was a broadcaster for the third, fourth, and fifth games of the 2006 World Series for Fox as part of the network's pregame and postgame team, along with host Jeanne Zelasko and regular analyst Kevin Kennedy.

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23.

Joe Girardi served as color commentator for the No 2 booth on Major League Baseball on Fox.

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24.

Joe Girardi said only that he appreciated the opportunity to manage the club.

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25.

Joe Girardi was a candidate for the Cubs' manager position, to succeed Dusty Baker; he interviewed for the job just days after leaving the Marlins.

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26.

Joe Girardi took himself out of the running for the Washington Nationals' managerial job shortly thereafter and returned to the broadcast booth for the YES Network in 2007.

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27.

Joe Girardi said taking another managerial job would have meant a third move in as many years for his family.

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28.

In June 2007 after the Baltimore Orioles fired manager Sam Perlozzo, Joe Girardi interviewed for and was offered the position with the Orioles but turned it down.

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29.

On October 29,2007, Joe Girardi was reported to be the Yankees' choice and the next day he signed a three-year contract, reportedly worth about $7.

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30.

Joe Girardi chose to wear number 27 to signify his wish to lead the Yankees to their 27th world championship.

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31.

Joe Girardi is a health enthusiast and banned sweets such as ice cream and soda in the clubhouse.

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32.

Joe Girardi participated in the next Old Timer's Day on July 19,2009, the first in the new Yankee Stadium, as well as every one since then.

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33.

Joe Girardi led the Yankees to their 40th AL pennant and their 27th World Series title, his first World Series title as manager and the Yankees' first since 2000.

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34.

Rob Parker of ESPN commended Joe Girardi's performance and felt his efforts were deserving of American League Manager of the Year, but felt he would not get the award due to the Yankees high payroll and what Parker alleges is an anti-Yankee bias.

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35.

On October 10,2013, Joe Girardi signed a four-year deal worth $16 million to remain as manager of the New York Yankees.

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36.

Joe Girardi is of Italian descent and is a devout Christian.

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37.

Police said Joe Girardi put his own life at risk while trying to help the driver who had just crashed into a wall.

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38.

Joe Girardi had Alzheimer's disease and spent the past several years in an assisted care facility.

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39.

Joe Girardi's mother had died from cancer while Joe was a student-athlete at Northwestern University.

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40.

Joe Girardi has four siblings: John Girardi, George Girardi, Maria Girardi, and Gerald Girardi.

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