Ex-Brooklyn Dodgers catcher, Mets coach Pignatano dies at 92

By BEN WALKER
AP Baseball Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Former Brookyln Dodgers catcher and New York Mets coach Joe Pignatano has died. He was 92. The Mets said Pignatano died in Naples, Florida, at a nursing home. He had been suffering from dementia. Pignatano had been the last living coach from the 1969 Miracle Mets, who made a remarkable run to reach the World Series and then startled Baltimore and the baseball world for their first championship. Pignatano was a career .234 hitter and lined into a triple play in his final big league at-bat. As the bullpen catcher for the Mets, he tended a garden in the bullpen at Shea Stadium and was known for growing juicy tomatoes.