PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers baseball mourns the loss of Jeff Torborg, who passed away over the weekend at the age of 83. A 1994 inductee into the Rutgers Athletics Hall of Fame, Torborg's #10 was the first number to be retired by the program in 1992 and is one of just three total.
"Jeff was a terrific human being who lived a great life full of tremendous accomplishment both inside and outside of baseball," head coach
Steve Owens said. "We want to send our best wishes and prayers of support to his wife Suzie and the entire family. He was truly a legend in our storied baseball history and will be missed by all."
Torborg was a 1963 All-American and set the school record for single-season batting average (.537) that year, which also led the country. His slugging percentage that year (1.032) is also a single-season standard. In 1963, he led the team with 21 RBIs and six home runs. In his three-year career from 1961-63, the Westfield, New Jersey, native batted .390, which still ranks fifth in Rutgers baseball history. During his career, the Scarlet Knights were 15-4-1, 14-4 and 11-5 for a three-year mark of 40-13-1 (.741).
After his standout career at RU, Torborg was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers. He played 10 seasons in the majors, seven with the Dodgers and three with the California Angels. He caught three no-hitters, a perfect game with Sandy Koufax and another no-hitter with Bill Singer of the Dodgers and Nolan Ryan of the Angels; and was the backstop in Don Drysdale's record fifth-straight shutout in 1968. He was a successful manager with the Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, New York Mets, Montreal Expos and Florida Marlins, winning the Baseball Writer's Association,
Associated Press,
United Press International and
The Sporting News Manager of the Year award. He accumulated 634 wins in his career as a manager.
Jeff married his wife, Suzie, on June 6, 1963 and two raised three sons Doug, Greg and Dale.
In addition to his illustrious baseball career, Torborg was known as a
classy, decent and dignified person. In 2019, the
Jeff Torborg Youth Baseball Field in his hometown of Westfield was dedicated in his honor. Torborg and his wife, Suzie, remained true to their New Jersey roots throughout their entire lives. The Torborg's supported Rutgers baseball since 1976 – for nearly 50 years – and have endowed a baseball scholarship annually since 1996. They also began endowing a softball scholarship in 2007.
Gallery: (1-20-2025) Remembering Jeff Torborg
