From 1996 to 2007, he was the manager of the New York Yankees, and guided the team to six American League (AL) pennants and four World Series championships.

His managerial career covered 29 seasons, including tenures with the same three clubs for which he had played, and also stints with the Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers, until 2010.

Heavyset as a teenager, Torre was not considered a viable professional prospect until he converted to catcher on the advice of his brother Frank.

[2] For the 1961 season he was assigned to the Triple A Louisville Colonels, where the Braves planned to groom him as the eventual successor to their All-Star catcher, Del Crandall.

[21][22] Despite the fact that the Braves finished the season in fifth place, Torre ranked fifth in voting for the 1964 National League Most Valuable Player Award.

[25][26] In an article for the St. Petersburg Independent that year, Beat Generation author Jack Kerouac called Torre "the best catcher since Roy Campanella.

"[27] For the 1966 season the Braves relocated to Atlanta and the new Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium which, due to its less dense atmosphere in the high elevation in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, made it favorable to home run hitters.

[2] In 1970, the Cardinals traded McCarver to the Philadelphia Phillies along with Curt Flood, Byron Browne, and Joe Hoerner, in return for Dick Allen, Jerry Johnson, and Cookie Rojas.

[2] After two more sub-par seasons, the Cardinals traded the 34-year-old Torre to the New York Mets for Ray Sadecki and Tommy Moore on October 13, 1974.

[51] In 1982, Torre replaced Bobby Cox as the manager of the Atlanta Braves, and immediately guided the team to a Major League record 13 straight wins to open the season, a mark that was later tied by the 1987 Milwaukee Brewers and the 2023 Tampa Bay Rays.

Torre was fired in June 1995 for his poor record that year, and also as part of a rebuilding project while Anheuser-Busch prepared to sell the team.

The New York City press (and fans) thought his hiring was a colossal mistake and greeted him with tabloid headlines such as "Clueless Joe.

[52] During the 1998 playoffs, the Yankees easily bested the Texas Rangers, fought off the Cleveland Indians for the AL pennant, and swept the San Diego Padres in the World Series.

The Red Sox would go on to win the 2004 World Series, their first title since 1918, thereby ending the "Curse of the Bambino", which had supposedly been inflicted on the team when Babe Ruth was sold to the Yankees in early 1920.

They won 14 of their last 18 on their way to employing a franchise record 51 players to overtake Boston and capture their eighth consecutive AL East title.

[62] Despite pitching issues and injuries, the Yankees won another AL East title in 2006, but would go on to lose the ALDS to the Detroit Tigers in four games.

"[69] Added Joel Sherman, "Torre erred in turning down the Yankees' proposal to stay in the position that has made him rich and famous beyond what he could have dreamed a dozen years ago."

On November 1, 2007, the Los Angeles Dodgers announced that Torre would be their manager beginning with the 2008 season, succeeding Grady Little, who had resigned the post two days before.

[72] Torre had grown up in Brooklyn when the Dodgers played there, but he admitted to having been a New York Giants fan then, adding another twist to the longstanding rivalry between the two clubs.

[82] In December 2014, as part of an executive reorganization, MLB announced Torre's title was modified to Chief Baseball Officer, though his duties remained unchanged.

[84][85] Torre briefly resigned from his position with Major League Baseball in January 2012 amid speculation that he was interested in joining one of the groups seeking to buy the Los Angeles Dodgers.

[90] Commented Cardinals manager Mike Matheny, "It's good leadership that he's willing to initiate conversation, ... giving guys a chance [to express any issues they might have], it's impressive.

[92][93] In February 2020, Torre was replaced as head of on-field operations by former pitcher Chris Young and was reassigned as special assistant to the Commissioner.

General reference:[101] Torre appeared as himself in the broadcast booth in the 1990 film Taking Care of Business, which showed a fictional World Series between the Angels and the Chicago Cubs.

[118][119] On June 15, 2009, Torre was a guest on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien[120] He has made appearances on Sesame Street, Castle,[121] and Gary Unmarried.

However, a few weeks later on June 26, Wild Desert, in which Torre is also a partner, won the $1.0 million Queen's Plate, the first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown.

[126] Homeboykris, who had upset the field by a half-length and won the opening card of the Preakness Stakes on May 21, 2016, collapsed and died on his way back to the stall immediately after the race.

The book, co-authored by Sports Illustrated writer Tom Verducci, details Torre's tenure as manager of the New York Yankees.

The program, which is administered by health care professionals from North Hudson Community Action Corp., also includes an anti-violence campaign within the school, and training for teachers and counselors.

His older sister Marguerite was a Roman Catholic nun and teacher, was the principal of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary School in Ozone Park, Queens until her death on May 29, 2022.