Matty Alou, baseball All-Star, dies at 72

Matty Alou, once part of an all-Alou outfield for the San Francisco Giants with brothers Felipe and Jesus, died yesterday in his native Dominican Republic. He was 72.

He died of diabetes complications, according to his former Dominican team, Leones del Escogido. The Giants also confirmed his death and said Alou had been sick for several years.

Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda said he knew his "great friend" had been ailing. "We roomed together a few times with the Giants," Cepeda said by phone. "Very funny guy, hell of a ballplayer. When Matty was playing with the Giants, he was a dead fastball hitter, he could pull anybody, I don't care how hard they threw."

A two-time All-Star, Alou became the 1966 National League batting champion with the Pirates when he hit .342. He spent his first six seasons with San Francisco from 1960-65 and also played for St. Louis, Oakland, the Yankees and San Diego.

Alou -- who worked for a time as an adviser in the Giants' baseball operations department before his health problems persisted -- was a career .307 hitter with 31 home runs, 427 RBIs, 1,777 hits and 236 doubles in 15 major league seasons.

"He went to Pittsburgh and switched from a light bat to a heavy bat, and he hit .340 one year," Cepeda recalled.

The Alou brothers made history in 1963 when they appeared in the same outfield for several games.

Felipe Alou, who managed the Giants for four seasons from 2003 to 2006, takes pride in how the Alou name has endured in baseball.

"It's a family legacy," he said during his time managing the Giants. "The Alou legacy is a legacy in itself. I see all of us together being a force going through this game, and still going. The respect, I'm proud of that, and length of service."

Matty Alou's nephew Moises -- Felipe's son -- played for the Mets in 2007 and 2008, batting .342 in 102 games with the club.

Leones president Luis Manuel Bonetti added: "Dominican baseball in general and Leones in particular, has lost one of its most emblematic figures and an extraordinary human being."

A memorial service was held yesterday. Alou is survived by his wife of 49 years, Maria Teresa, three children -- Mateo Jr., Teresa and Matias -- and four grandchildren. In addition, he is survived by five siblings: brothers Felipe, Jesus and Jose, and sisters Zula and Virginia.