Joey Amalfitano celebrates his 92nd birthday on January 23rd. He is one of 5 surviving members of the New York Giants. Below is a list of the remaining living members of the NY Giants, with their birthdates starting with January. After that is an old article on Amalfitano.

■Joe Margoneri 1956-57 B: 1/13/1930 P

■Joey Amalfitano 1954-55 B:1/23/1934 INF

■Bill White 1956 B: 1/28/1934 1B

■Al Worthington 1953-54, 1956-57 B: 2/5/1929 P

■Jackie Brandt 1956 B: 4/28/1934 OF

TIDBITS:

-Joey Amalfitano and Al Worthington are the only remaining NY Giants from the 1954 World Championship team, the last WS Championship they won in NY.

-Joe Margoneri is the only NY Giant of the 5 remaining NY Giants to solely play for the franchise in NY and not in San Francisco.

-Jackie Brandt, Bill White, and Al Worthington, are the only remaining Giants who played for the team in NY and were members of the inaugural SF Giants in 1958.

-Joey Amalfitano is the only NY Giant who played with the SF Giants, but not during the inaugural 1958 season in San Francisco.

-Jackie Brandt (91) is the youngest living NY Giant and Al Worthington (96) is the oldest living NY Giant.

As told to Ed Attanasio, This Great Game

Joey Amalfitano is a former utility infielder, manager and coach who played a combined 10 seasons with the New York/San Francisco Giants (1954-1955, 1960-1961 and 1963), Houston Colt .45s (1962) and Chicago Cubs (1964-1967). He managed the Cubs from 1979-1981 and is best known as the Los Angeles Dodgers’ third base coach for sixteen years from 1983-1998, which included a World Series championship (in 1988).

On his Early Days:

“When I was around ten years old, we had a very good softball team in grammar school. It was fast pitch softball and we played all over Southern California. We were going to play St. John Bosco one day. That was before the freeway was there, to give you an idea of how long ago that was. We went there thinking we were going to play softball, and all of a sudden we saw that they were playing baseball, something we had never done. Our parents had taken us all this way, so we decided to play and man—I liked it. I hit two home runs that day. We were playing in a huge field, so the ball just kept rolling. When I hit the ball, the bat sounded great and the ball went further. Right there, I got hooked. I do remember that and the sensation I got from it.”

On Joe DiMaggio:

“I was told that Joe liked me, at least that’s what I was told. So, then I got the ground rules, which I won’t share with you, okay? I was basically told how to act in his presence. You know, I stuck to the rules. I did the right thing and showed him respect and that’s why I was able to break bread with the man many, many times. Joe was always nice to me and I never saw him being sullen or rude to people, like some people have said. He was a complete gentleman, but he had ground rules.”

On the Bonus Baby Rule:

“I was on the Giants and not in the minors where I should have been, because I signed a deal for more than $6,000, which meant I had to be on the team’s 25-man roster. That was a big deal at the time, but it’s tip money for these players today. So, I basically sat on the bench and watched the games in ’54 and ’55. Seeing Leo Durocher in action I learned a lot about the game, but he was saddled with me, because I couldn’t play, at least at that level. I was essentially a spectator in a uniform. The team had two bonus babies in 1954: Myself and Paul Giel, a fella who was also a college football star who actually finished second in the Heisman trophy voting one year. So, Leo had 23 players essentially, because Paul and I couldn’t be relied on to do anything. We had no business being there at all, but can you imagine how a manager would do today with only 23 guys? I’m sure he wouldn’t like it, but Durocher never complained and all he did was win.”

On Leo Durocher:

“It was sad, because he made it into the Hall of Fame, but he wasn’t alive to enjoy it. I remember we discussed it one day, we were very close. One year, it looked like Leo was going to get elected and he didn’t make it. So, Peter O’Malley, the owner of the Dodgers, contacted me and asked me to call him and invite him to Vero Beach for spring training as his guest. But, after the disappointment of not getting into the Hall, Leo was really down and he said I don’t feel like doing it, but please thank Peter O’Malley for me, which I did. Leo said, ‘I know I’m going to get in, but I just hope it happens while I’m alive.’ But, it didn’t happen. (Durocher died in 1991 and was elected into Cooperstown in 1994.) He was tough on me and everyone else, but especially tough on me for some reason. He teased me constantly, but I think he was doing it to toughen me up. I was young, hell—I didn’t know what was going on. He would love to blast fungo shots at me all the time and he’d laugh when they bounced off my shins. I played very little for him, but I coached with him for many years. He taught me everything I know about the game. He was a great bench jockey and watching his mind work was amazing. If he yelled at a player, it was because he respected the guy; that was his way of doing it. Sometimes he would get very aggressive with the things he said, especially during the biggest games, when he was trying to rattle the other team.”

On Willie Mays:

“The first time I met him, he walked up and put his arms around me and said, ‘This is the kid who got all the money!’ referring to my bonus. And then he laughed his great laugh. He was a happy man and he loved playing. I never heard him complain or say anything bad about anybody. He was only three years older than me and we would drive together over to Ebbetts Field when we played in Brooklyn. He was an incredible player and he would do spectacular things all the time, to the point where it was almost expected.”

On the 1954 World Series:

“We were confident, so when we swept the Indians it wasn’t a big surprise. We played them a few times during spring training that year and beat them pretty handily, as I recall. So, we had a team meeting the night before the series and Durocher started reading from this scouting report and going through their lineup. After about the third name, he stopped and said, “We beat these guys in the spring and we’ll beat them again’ and that was the end of the meeting. He took that scouting report and threw it in the trash. My good friend Johnny Antonelli was unhittable in that series. He got a win and a save and we got some timely hitting and that’s how you win.”

On Bunting as a Lost Art:

“I teach these kids how to bunt, because they don’t know how to do it right. Teams just don’t bunt anymore, because everyone is trying to smack the ball out of the yard. The hit-and-run, sacrifice, double steal, suicide bunt—teams used to do that more. Leo Durocher taught me how to use all the tools and strategy you possibly can to get an advantage over your opponent and bunting is one way to do it. On any team, everyone should know how to bunt. Even your power hitters, because you never know, you never know.”

Former New York Giants pitcher Ray Crone passed away on January 15 at the age of 94, in Waxahachie, Texas. Crone, a right-handed pitcher, played for the Milwaukee Braves, and New York Giants (1957), and the San Francisco Giants in 1958. Crone’s passing leaves only 5 Giants who played for the team in New York. Those being:

■Joe Margoneri 1956-57 B: 1/13/1930 P

■Joey Amalfitano 1954-55 B:1/23/1934 INF

■Bill White 1956 B: 1/28/1934 1B

■Al Worthington 1953-54, 1956-57 B: 2/5/1929 P

■Jackie Brandt 1956 B: 4/28/1934 OF

MAY HE REST IN PEACE

Raymond Hayes Crone, a former Major League pitcher and longtime professional scout whose baseball career spanned more than half a century, passed away on January 15, 2026, in Waxahachie, Texas. He was 94. Born on August 7, 1931, in Memphis, Tennessee, Crone devoted his life to the game he loved, leaving a lasting imprint on the sport through both his playing days and his decades of talent evaluation.

Crone’s baseball journey began early. After starring at Christian Brothers High School in Memphis, he signed with the Boston Braves organization at just 17 years old. He quickly distinguished himself as a promising young pitcher, winning 19 games for the Jacksonville Braves in 1953 as the franchise transitioned to Milwaukee.

He made his major league debut with the Milwaukee Braves on April 13, 1954, and over the next five seasons established himself as a steady right‑handed presence on the mound. Crone pitched for the Braves through 1957 before being traded to the New York Giants in a deal that sent Hall of Famer Red Schoendienst to Milwaukee. He remained with the Giants through their move to San Francisco, appearing in his final major league game in 1958. He finished his MLB career with a 30–30 record, a 3.87 ERA, and 260 strikeouts across 137 games.

After retiring from pitching in 1961, Crone stepped away from the field but not from the sport. A decade later, he began a long and respected career as a scout, working for several organizations including the Montreal Expos, Baltimore Orioles, San Diego Padres, and Arizona Diamondbacks. His eye for talent and deep understanding of the game earned him admiration throughout the baseball community. His son, Ray Crone Jr., followed in his footsteps and also became a professional scout.

Condolences to his family and friends and may he Rest in Peace.

Sourced using Wikipedia and MSN.

NYG Pitcher Joe Margoneri celebrates his 96th birthday on January 13th. He is one of the 6 surviving members of the New York Giants. Below is a list of the remaining living members of the NY Giants, with their birth-dates starting in January. I found a great article from 2013 on Joe which you can read below.

■Joe Margoneri 1956-57 B: 1/13/1930 P

■Joey Amalfitano 1954-55 B:1/23/1934 INF

■Bill White 1956 B: 1/28/1934 1B

■Al Worthington 1953-54, 1956-57 B: 2/5/1929 P

■Jackie Brandt 1956 B: 4/28/1934 OF

■Ray Crone 1957 B: 8/7/1931 P

TIDBITS:

-Joey Amalfitano and Al Worthington, are the only remaining NY Giants from the 1954 World Championship team, the last WS Championship they won in NY.

-Joe Margoneri is the only NY Giant of the 6 remaining NY Giants to solely play for the franchise in NY and not in San Francisco.

-Jackie Brandt, Ray Crone, Bill White, and Al Worthington, are the only remaining Giants who played for the team in NY and were members of the inaugural SF Giants in 1958.

-Joey Amalfitano is the only NY Giant who played with the SF Giants, but not during the inaugural 1958 season in San Francisco.

-Jackie Brandt (91) is the youngest living NY Giant and Al Worthington (96) is the oldest living NY Giant.

JOE MARGONERI’S JOURNEY TO THE POLO GROUNDS

Joe Margoneri’s golden left arm was his ticket into professional baseball. Blessed with a blazing fastball, Margoneri caught the attention of the New York Giants scouts after pitching on the sandlots of Smithton, Pennsylvania.

“We had no high school baseball. I was playing semi-pro ball, working for the gentleman that ran the team. He owned a coal mine and coke oven,” Margoneri said during a December 2012 phone interview. “I was a young guy and I could throw the ball pretty good. I didn’t know how hard I could throw it. The owner got to me after the game and said there was a scout, Nick Shinkoff, from the New York Giants that wanted to see me. My boss sort of kept it hush hush and didn’t want me to see anybody else. It went on from there and that’s how I got signed.”

“Through the grapevine, I think somebody else got a bonus for me,” he said. “I couldn’t verify it, but it doesn’t matter. All I wanted to do was play baseball at 19, 20 years old. I signed a contract for $150 a month; I thought I was a millionaire. I got by strictly on a fastball too.”

His speed overpowered the hitters in the league, as he finished the season with a 23-4 record, and advanced two levels to Class B Sunbury the next season.

“I did decent there; I had 18 wins,” he said.

Just as he was poised to continue his ascent in the Giants organization, Uncle Sam called.

“The Army got me,” he said. “Back in those days, Korean War was coming on and the draft was still in progress. They were drafting guys and that’s how I got in. I didn’t volunteer.”

He spent the next two seasons (1952-53) stationed at Brooke Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas.

“I was fortunate, I stayed state-side,” he said. “I played baseball down in San Antonio, Texas. It was what they called special service. They had football players, basketball players — all types of athletes down there in one section.”

His teammates included some big names that were familiar to New Yorkers.

“Don Newcombe and Bobby Brown were down there; Newcombe and I got to be pretty good friends,” he recalled. “He used to be a salesman for one of the beer companies, and we used to travel around in this big ol’ Cadillac.”

His time in the service provided him with an opportunity to stay sharp for his return to the Giants.

“I pitched pretty well in the service,” he said. “We played a lot of semi-pro teams in the oil fields of Texas, as well as the Air Force bases and Army bases. I came out and went to Nashville and won like 14 games there.”

During that 1954 offseason, Margoneri traveled south to play for Magallanes in the Venezuelan Winter League. He led the team to a second-place finish in the Caribbean Series, which included squaring off against his future teammate Willie Mays, who was playing for the powerhouse Santurce club of Puerto Rico. He handed Santurce their only defeat of the series, surrendering two runs in a complete game victory. His performance didn’t go unnoticed.

He showed up to spring training in 1955 and immediately caught the attention of Giants manager Leo Durocher. In the March 7, 1955 issue of the Long Island Star-Journal, Durocher raved about Margoneri’s prospects.

“I like everything about the kid,” Durocher said. “I like his attitude … his poise … his motion … and, above all, his fastball. He’s firin’ harder than the others because he’s ready. He pitched in one of those winter leagues.”

The Giants felt he was ready for their highest minor league competition and sent him to their AAA team in Minneapolis. Margoneri helped lead the team to the 1955 Junior World Series Championship, defeating the Rochester Red Wings of the International League in the best of a seven-game series. The long season, including his time in the winter leagues, was almost a two-year stretch of non-stop pitching. Just as he was inching close to the major leagues, he started to have problems with his pitching arm.

“That’s when my arm trouble started. I was throwing 150 pitches per game and became a bit wild,” he said.

Margoneri rested his arm in the offseason, and in 1956, he was rewarded for his perseverance. On April 25, 1956, he made his major league debut against the Brooklyn Dodgers at the Polo Grounds, pitching one scoreless inning in relief.

“It was just like a dream,” he said. “Just wanting to get there, and then I got there and hung on.”

Margoneri did more than hang on, he excelled. By mid-August, he was 5-2 with a 2.77 ERA. Things were looking up for the left-hander, and then his sore arm resurfaced. He won only one of his next five decisions, finishing 6-6 with a 4.04 ERA.

“My arm went practically went dead. I lost 30% on my fastball. That was right in the middle of my arm being bad. I didn’t want to tell anyone. [If you were hurt] you went down and you didn’t come back.”

Looking back at his rookie season, Margoneri savored the opportunity to brush shoulders with a future Hall of Famer.

“I had my locker next to Willie Mays. He was phenomenal. He did everything,” he said.

He even had a Mays moment of his own against the Chicago Cubs in New York, when he hit his lone major league home run.

“I’ll never forget that baby!” he said. “It was in the Polo Grounds off of Warren Hacker of the Cubs. It was a fastball. [I hit it to] right field, over the short fence.”

He pitched 13 more games for the Giants in 1957, and was sent down to the minors for good halfway through the season. He continued to pitch until 1960 before moving on from baseball, where he worked in a paper mill for 30 years, retiring in 1991.

“I started practically on the bottom in 1962 went until 1991 and moved up the ladder. I was a supervisor the last 15 years making corrugated boxes,” he said.

Still popular with the fans, he often receives mail requests to sign his 1957 Topps card. He gladly returns them.

“I still get a lot of index cards and bubble gum cards, a few of those per week. I send them back all the time.”

Topps honored him in their 2006 Topps Heritage set, traveling to his home in West Newton, Pennsylvania, for him to sign replica cards as special inserts in their packs. At 83, his focus now is his family, which includes a budding pitching star.

“I raised five daughters, 13 grand children and my fifth great-grandchild is on the way. I’ve been married 58 years to my wife Helen. She went to one local high school and I went to another and she was my childhood sweetheart,” he said.

His granddaughter Nicole Sleith is an ace left-handed pitcher for Robert Morris University’s softball team. So does he offer words of wisdom about facing the likes of Duke Snider, Ernie Banks, and Stan Musial?

“She doesn’t need it,” he said. She’s good; she broke all kinds of records in high school and has a scholarship now.”

https://www.baseballhappenings.net/…/joe-margoneris…