During a 15-year baseball career, he played for the San Francisco Giants (1963–68), Houston Astros (1969–73; 1978–79), Oakland Athletics (1973–74), and New York Mets (1975). He was the youngest of the trio of baseball-playing brothers that included Felipe and Matty.Alou was considered a better prospect than either of his brothers and received a $4,000 signing bonus. He made his debut at the end of 1963, and his first game, on September 10, was notable in that all three Alou brothers batted in the same inning (they were retired in order). Five days later, for the first time, the three played in the outfield for the Giants at the same time.
Alou was selected by the Montreal Expos in the 1968 MLB expansion draft and then was dealt to Houston. He had his most active season there, hitting .306 in 487 at-bats, but with few walks and little power. He was traded to the Athletics midway through the 1973 season, and served as a bench player on two World Series championship teams. Alou was released by the A’s before the 1975 season, failed to catch on with the Mets and Córdoba of the Mexican League in short stints, and did not return to the majors until Houston signed him in 1978. He responded by hitting .324 in part-time action and became a player-coach the following year before retiring.
Smallthoughts: Old School Tuesday spotlights…Jesus Alou.
| MLB debut | |
|---|---|
| September 10, 1963, for the San Francisco Giants | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 29, 1979, for the Houston Astros | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .280 |
| Home runs | 32 |
| Runs batted in | 377 |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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