After 57 years, Altobelli's mark still stands

Joe Altobelli's career has spanned nearly six decades and shows no signs of ending anytime soon. He's been a successful player and manager in the Minor Leagues and later won a World Series as the skipper of the Baltimore Orioles.

But ask the 75-year-old former first baseman, who now broadcasts games for the Rochester Red Wings, which season he would most like to relive and the answer might be a bit of a surprise. It wasn't 1983 when he led the O's to the World Series crown. It wasn't 1977 when he got his first job as a Major League manager in San Francisco. And it wasn't 1971 when he piloted Rochester to an International League title and Junior World Series victory over Denver of the American Association.

Rather, the Michigan native points to 1951, his rookie season in organized ball. Altobelli was 18 years old and playing for the Daytona Beach Islanders of the then-Class D Florida State League. That was the year Altobelli set a Florida State League record by collecting a hit in 36 consecutive games.

The streak, which began in late April, came to an end on May 31 when Altobelli went hitless in the first game of a doubleheader against the Palatka Azaleas. What made his reaching 36 games so interesting is the fact that Altobelli broke the record of 35 set just days earlier by Charlie Brewster. The Gainesville player-manager had broken the previous mark of 31 set by Orlando's Bruce Barnes in 1950.

"Charlie and I both had our hitting streaks going at the same time," Altobelli said. "He got stopped at 35, and I got stopped at 36. It was a fun year, my very first. I played every inning of every game and had something like 580 at-bats. If I had the chance to live one season over it would be my first year.

"I really enjoyed my year at Daytona Beach. Professional baseball made a big impression on me that season. I've always said I would like to relive that season. It feels good to still have the hitting streak record, and that's one of the big reasons why I'd like to live that year over again."

Altobelli's record received one of its few serious challenges in 2007 when Brevard County's Mat Gamel hit in 33 consecutive games before his streak came to an end in July. Altobelli says he didn't breathe a sigh of relief when Gamel's run came to an end. He wasn't even aware his record was being challenged.

"Someone had to tell me," Altobelli said. "Our beat writer Jim Mandelaro [of the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle] and my radio partner Josh Wetzel both told me my record had not been broken, and that was that. But it does feel good to have the hitting streak record."

Putting together his own hitting streak surprised Altobelli, who struggled early that season during his first action in pro ball. He says that he was hitless in his first 12 or 14 at-bats and was wondering when he'd actually get his first base hit.

"Things came together, though, and I was able to put a string together right away," Altobelli said. "I didn't even know then that I had hit in 36 consecutive games. Someone had to tell me that. It was just go hit the ball and run. I didn't feel any pressure, though, not at that age.

"I was just going out and doing my job. We didn't have beat writers that followed us either. Someone would come to see a game once in a while, but they never came into the clubhouse to talk to us. They just wrote what they saw."

And what they saw that summer was a kid from Detroit having the time of his life. It didn't matter that Daytona Beach, a Cleveland affiliate, finished sixth in an eight-team league, 28 games behind the eventual champion DeLand Red Hats. Altobelli lived by the beach and spent his mornings down by the water with roommate and future Major League slugger Rocky Colavito, who would tie for the league lead in home runs (23) that season.

The Indians also held their Spring Training just outside Daytona Beach, so Altobelli got to spend seven months on the Atlantic coast. He walked to the park every day and spent each night in his own bed because the club returned home every night after road games.

"That was the first time I was ever on a plane, going down to Spring Training that year," Altobelli said. "I spent seven months there. It was different, but I certainly enjoyed it.

"The thing that baffled me most when I went to Spring Training that year was so many guys speaking hillbilly. Most of the kids signed then were farmers' kids, big strong guys who played baseball. I think that was the time that tobacco might have been introduced because there was a fallacy then about not drinking water when you were sweating and working out. So guys started chewing the tobacco brought in by the farm boys who chewed it while they worked in the fields."

Altobelli was never quite able to improve on the success he had in 1951. He did move up through the Cleveland system, though, playing in the Eastern League, which was a high-A league at the time, in 1952-53 before playing in the Triple-A American Association in 1954. He reached the Major Leagues in 1955, playing 42 games for the Tribe.

He spent nearly half of 1957 with the Indians as well and for part of the 1961 season with the Twins. He found his real niche with Rochester of the International League in the 1960s, eventually making his home there after starring for the Red Wings. He went on to have a great success as a manager in the Minors and is still revered in upstate New York.

While Altobelli still enjoys his time with the Red Wings, a little part of him still wishes he was back in Daytona Beach.