"The warning signals have been clearly tapped out and now it's up to Joe Pepitone to acknowledge. The Yankees felt that his .247 batting average with 18 homers and 63 RBIs was too anemic for one as young, talented and healthy as Joe is. Only three seasons ago he hit .271 and belted 27 home runs. In 1964, when he made it 28 homers but dipped to a .251 mark, his antics were still forgivable. Joe knows he has to make a sharp reversal in 1966. At 25, he's learned to hit the curve ball a lot better than he did when he first came up; he always could murder a fastball. One veteran lefty in the league says Joe likes the ball on the inside half of the plate. Thus, he throws him curves low and away."
-Jack Zanger, Major League Baseball 1966
"Joe Pepitone attracts attention, whether he's hitting home runs, coming up with a fielding gem or walking down the street. The colorful Yankee first baseman (who is equally able in the outfield) creates excitement when he gets a haircut, just as he does when he gets a game-winning homer.
The 1965 season was not Peppy's best, just as it was below par for the Yankees as a team. But Joe was a mixed-up fellow last year and admits he didn't have his mind on the game all the time. This year, he avers, things are different. A happy bridegroom, he is determined to show Yankee fans that he can reach the stardom predicted for him several years ago.
Joe led the league's first sackers in fielding last year and won a Sporting News Gold Glove award as a league leader at first. A quick bat is another of Joe's attributes. He hopes to put them all together in 1966."
-The New York Yankees Official 1966 Yearbook
Signed by Yankee organization, April 13, 1958.
Tied major league record by hitting two home runs in one inning, against Kansas City, May 23, 1962.
Led Yankees in games played (157), total bases (260) and RBIs (89), 1963.
Knocked in winning run 16 times, more than any other Yankee, 1963.
One of 10 to hit a grand slam in the World Series, 8th inning, October 14, 1964.
Led American League first basemen in fielding (.997), 1965.
-1966 New York Yankees Press-TV-Radio Guide
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