Joseph Henry Garagiola Sr. (February 12, 1926 – March 23, 2016) was an American professional baseball catcher, later an announcer and television host.

Garagiola played nine seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, and New York Giants.

[1] Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Garagiola grew up on Elizabeth Avenue in an Italian-American neighborhood in the south of the city called the Hill, just across the street from Yogi Berra, his childhood friend and competitor, who was nine months older.

[2] An argument ensued and umpire Beans Reardon held back Garagiola while Robinson responded with a mock clap.

[3] Garagiola never quite lived up to the promise of his youth, appearing in only 676 games over nine seasons for four National League teams.

He once told this story himself: "He knew that it was time to retire when he was catching, and his ex-teammate Stan Musial stepped into the batter's box, turned to Joe, and said, 'When are you gonna quit?'"

Garagiola called several World Series on NBC Radio in the 1960s, teaming with announcers including By Saam and George Kell.

After Mel Allen was fired, Garagiola was added to the New York Yankees broadcast team, where he worked with lead announcer Phil Rizzuto from 1965[7] to 1967; in May 1967, he called Mickey Mantle's 500th home run.

After calling one final World Series with Scully in 1988, Garagiola resigned from the network in November[9][10] following a contract dispute.

"[1] In 1970, Garagiola appeared at a preliminary trial following former Cardinals outfielder Curt Flood's lawsuit against Major League Baseball, challenging the game's reserve clause.

Testifying before Judge Irving Ben Cooper in New York, Garagiola defended the clause, a stance he later deemed a "terrible mistake.

The two men became close friends, and on election night in November 1976 Ford invited Garagiola to be one of his guests at the White House to watch the results on television.

[14] Garagiola was the keynote luncheon speaker at the 2007 convention of the Society for American Baseball Research held in St. Louis.

In 2012, he was honored by the Catholic Community Foundation of the Diocese of Phoenix, receiving its inaugural Legacy Award at its 24th Annual Crosier Gala for his tireless help and generosity with the St. Peter's Mission School on the Gila River Reservation.

[17] Garagiola married Audrie Ross, the organist at the Cardinals' ballpark in St. Louis, in 1949;[1] their two sons later had an association with baseball.

His other son Steve is a retired broadcast journalist as well, serving as a reporter and anchor for WDIV-TV, the NBC affiliate in Detroit.

[18] His daughter, Gina, has also worked in TV news, as a field reporter for Phoenix television station KTVK, and is now a freelance writer.

[20][1] The Diamondbacks wore a patch in his memory on their right sleeve for the 2016 season, a black circle with "JOE" written in white in the center, with a catchers' mask replacing the O.