Joe Girardi

Joseph Elliott Girardi (born October 14, 1964) is an American sports broadcaster and former professional baseball player and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB).

Girardi enrolled at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where he attended from 1983 through 1986.

He played for the Northwestern Wildcats baseball team, where he was a two-time All Big Ten selection and a three-time Academic All-American.

In 1984, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League and was named a league all-star.

In 1986, he earned a bachelor of science degree in industrial engineering and was awarded the Big Ten Medal of Honor, which recognizes one male and one female student from the graduating class of each Big Ten member school for demonstrating joint athletic and academic excellence throughout their college career.

He was the first freshman to be elected president of a fraternity (Alpha Tau Omega) at Northwestern.

The Chicago Cubs drafted Girardi in the fifth round of the 1986 MLB draft.

He spent four seasons in the Cubs minor leagues system before making his major league debut.

In 1986, Girardi batted .309 in 68 games with the Peoria Chiefs of the Midwest League.

Girardi played the catcher position for the Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, New York Yankees, and St. Louis Cardinals during a big league playing career that spanned from 1989 to 2003.

In 1989, he also played for the Águilas del Zulia in the Venezuelan Winter League.

Girardi made his Major League debut for the Cubs on April 4, 1989.

During his rookie year with the Cubs, Girardi batted .248 with a home run and 14 runs batted in (RBIs) in 59 games played.

He won three World Series championships with the Yankees in the 1990s and served as the catcher for both Dwight Gooden's no-hitter and David Cone's perfect game.

In 1990, he played in 133 games, batting .270 with a home run and 38 RBIs.

In 1991, he played in only 21 games, batting .191 with 6 RBIs.

In 1992, he played in 91 games, batting .270 with a home run and 12 RBIs.

The Cubs left Girardi unprotected in the 1992 MLB expansion draft and the Colorado Rockies chose him.

During his first year with the Rockies in 1993, he played in 86 games batting .290 with five triples, three home runs, and 31 RBIs.

In 1994, he played in 93 games batting .276 with four triples, four home runs, and 34 RBIs.

In 1995, he played in 125 games batting .262 with a career-high eight home runs and 55 RBIs.

After the 1995 season, the New York Yankees acquired Girardi from the Rockies in exchange for pitcher Mike DeJean.

Girardi took the place of Mike Stanley.

On May 14, 1996, Girardi caught Dwight Gooden's no-hitter.

Girardi played in 124 games during the 1996 season, batting .294 with two home runs and 45 RBIs.

In Game 6 of the 1996 World Series against the Atlanta Braves, Girardi hit an RBI triple against Greg Maddux that helped the Yankees win that game and ultimately the World Series.

When the Yankees made 25-year-old prospect Jorge Posada the backup catcher, Girardi became his mentor.

In 1997, Girardi played in 112 games batting .264 with one home run and 50 RBIs.

During the World Series-winning 1998 season, he played in 78 games batting .276 with three home runs and 31 RBIs.

The two catchers split time for the Yankees through 1999.

On July 18, 1999, Girardi caught David Cone's perfect game.

During the World Series-winning 1999 season, Girardi played in 65 games batting .239 with two home runs and 27 RBIs.

In 2000, Girardi left the Yankees and returned to the Cubs, where he was named to that year's All-Star team, as an injury replacement for Mike Piazza.

During the 2000 season, Girardi played in 106 games batting .278 with six home runs and 40 RBIs.

Girardi became the Yankees’ bench coach in 2005.

In 2006, he managed the Florida Marlins and was named the National League (NL) Manager of the Year, but was fired after just one season with the team.

Girardi managed the Yankees from 2008 to 2017, winning the 2009 World Series over the Phillies.

He served as a color analyst for MLB Network and Fox Sports for two years before being named manager of the Philadelphia Phillies in October 2019; he was fired midway through the 2022 season.

He served as an analyst for Cubs telecasts on the Marquee Sports Network over the remainder of 2022 and in 2023, and will have the same role for Yankees telecasts on the YES Network in 2024.

Girardi, the fourth son of Jerry, a former blue collar worker and United States Air Force veteran, and Angela Girardi, was born in Peoria, Illinois, and grew up in East Peoria, Illinois and attended high school at the Spalding Institute.