Jesus Alou, youngest of Rojas Alou trio, died

Jesus Alou, the youngest of the legendary Rojas Alou brothers, has passed away Friday. He was 80 years old. Among elders in the Dominican Republic, los hermanos Alou or the Alou brothers are a household name.

Growing up, my father didn’t know much about baseball, but he knew Felipe, Matty, and Jesus. They were trailblazers for Latinos in baseball, and are quite possibly the reason why Dominicans are the largest foreign group represented in MLB.

Part of historic sibling trio

The Alou brothers played together for the San Francisco Giants during the 1963 season before going their separate ways. They were the first trio of siblings to play in the same outfield in the majors. They played together in a late-season game in 1963.

At a time when America wasn’t used to the name Jesus, some media and baseball folks referred to Jesus Alou as “Jay.”

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Jesus Alou made his way to the Houston Astros after the Giants. Then he joined the Oakland Athletics, where he collected two World Series rings.

The two titles earned him family bragging rights. The two titles are more than any of his relatives ever won.

Jesus Alou later played for the New York Mets before returning to the Astros, where he finished his playing career.

After retiring, Alou was a member of the Astros’ coaching staff. In 1983, he became a scout for the Montreal Expos organization, and later the Director of the Boston Red Sox Dominican Academy.

Alou’s cause of death is currently unknown. He did suffer a pair of cardiovascular “accidents” recently but he was said to have been in good health, according to ESPN’s Enrique Rojas.

All told, Jesus Alou played 15 seasons. In 1,380 big league games, he collected 1,216 hits and posted a career .280 batting average.

We are deeply saddened by the passing of Jesús Alou.

A 2x World Series champion, with over 60 years in baseball as a player, coach, scout, & ambassador, Jay was the patriarch of the Red Sox Dominican Academy & Lindos Sueños, bringing together communities within Red Sox Nation. pic.twitter.com/MbhNPELqdF

— Red Sox (@RedSox) March 10, 2023

He also played 20 years in the Dominican Winter League, mostly with Los Tigres del Licey. In La Liga Dominicana, he had a .302 batting average.

His baseball career spanned more than 60 years. He has touched even more lives.