LOS ANGELES — Former Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder and two-time World Series champion Al “The Bull” Ferrara died Friday, the team announced. He was 84.
No cause of death or additional details were shared.
“We are saddened to hear the news of Al Ferrara’s passing today,” Dodgers President and CEO Stan Kasten said in a news release. “Not only was Al a memorable player for the Dodgers in the 1960s, but he tirelessly supported the Dodgers community efforts and was one of our most committed alumni supporters. We extend our sympathies to his family.”
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Born Dec. 22, 1939, in Brooklyn, New York, Ferrara made his Major League Baseball debut for the Dodgers at age 23 in 1963. He played five seasons for the Dodgers from 1963-68 and was part of three National League pennant-winning teams and two World Series-winning teams in 1963 and 1965, though he didn’t play in either World Series. He hit a single in his lone at-bat during the 1966 World Series, which the Dodgers lost to the Baltimore Orioles, 4-0.
Ferrara’s best career year came in 1967 when he hit .277 with 16 home runs, 50 RBI and an .812 OPS en route to being voted the Dodger of the Year, which is annually awarded to the team’s MVP.
After five seasons in LA, Ferrara was selected by the new expansion team San Diego Padres in the 1968 expansion draft. He played two-plus seasons for the Padres from 1969 to 1971, hitting .265 with 27 home runs, 109 RBI and a .795 OPS. Ferrara also played one final season for the Cincinnati Reds in 1971 before retiring from MLB following that season.
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For his eight-year MLB career, Ferrara hit .259 with 51 home runs, 198 RBI and a .768 OPS. He returned to the Dodgers organization in 2009 as an alumni ambassador, making public appearances and serving the local community on behalf of the team.
In addition to baseball, Ferrara also was an actor with credits during and after his MLB career. His first credit came in a 1967 episode of “Gilligan’s Island,” and he also appeared in “Batman,” “Riot on Sunset Strip,” “Baretta,” “Mansion of the Doomed,” and “Dracula’s Dog,” according to his IMDb page.
Ferrara is survived by his son, Al III, and two grandchildren.
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