Major League Baseball Player. For fifteen seasons (1960 to 1974), he played at the outfielder position with the San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees and San Diego Padres. He was the middle sibling (Felipe, Matty and Jesus) of the Alou Brothers, who each became accomplished Major League players. Born Mateo Rojas (Alou) in Bajos de Haina, Dominican Republic, he attended high school in Santo Domingo and later was signed as an amateur free agent by the New York Giants. He marked his Major League debut (following the franchise’s relocation to San Francisco) on September 26th, 1960 and appeared in three games that year. In a reserve role, he contributed to the Giants’ squad which captured the 1962 National League Pennant and appeared in 6 games, recording 4 hits with a .333 batting average during that World Series. The following year, on September 10th, 1963, history was made as Felipe, Matty and Jesus (in his debut) comprised the Giants’ outfield, in addition to batting consecutively in the same inning, during a game against the Mets at the Polo Grounds. Individually he distinguished himself while with Pittsburgh, as he led the league in batting with a .342 average in 1966 and earned All-Star status in 1968. In 1969, he topped the league with 231 hits and 41 doubles, while achieving his second trip to the midsummer classic. Acquired by the Athletics during the 1972 season, Alou experienced a world championship with Oakland and recorded 8 hits, with 2 runs driven in and a .381 batting average during the 1972 ALCS. He appeared in all 7 games during the 1972 World Series. In 1,667 regular season games, he amassed 1,777 hits, with a .307 lifetime batting average. He extended his playing career in Japan and following his retirement, he remained in the sport to serve as a scout with the Detroit Tigers. His nephew Moises Alou (Felipe’s son) became a star Major League player. (bio by: C.S.)