Former Yankees, Dodgers Catcher Dies at 79
Catcher Ellie Rodriguez, who graduated from high school in The Bronx in 1964 and made his major league debut with the New York Yankees four years later, died April 23. He was 79.
Rodriguez played nine seasons in MLB with the Yankees (1968), Kansas City Royals (1969-70), Milwaukee Brewers (1971-73), California Angels (1974-75) and Los Angeles Dodgers (1976). A two-time All-Star, Rodriguez retired with a .245 batting average, 16 home runs and 203 RBIs in 775 big league games.
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On June 1, 1975, Rodriguez was behind the plate for the fourth no-hitter of Nolan Ryan’s career, a 1-0 Angels win over the Baltimore Orioles.
“”He had a tough, tough time warming up,” Rodriguez recalled in a 1991 interview. “When he started, he was throwing around 86 miles an hour. But he had a good change and a good curve going. Then in the fifth inning, his fastball started popping. He shook me off just a few times in that game.
“Once was on the last pitch of the game, with the count 2-2 on Bobby Grich. I called for a fastball, but he called me out to the mound to tell me he wanted the changeup, and we caught Grich looking. I had the ball, and I told Nolan, ‘I’ve got the ball, and I’m not going to give it to you.’ But I did.”
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Rodriguez was primarily a backup catcher in MLB, but he managed to make two American League All-Star Game rosters: in 1969 with the Royals and in 1972 with the Brewers, when he set career highs in batting average (.285) and on-base percentage (.382).
Rodriguez never hit more than seven home runs in a single season, which he did with the Angels in 1974, but he walked more often than he struck out in six of his nine seasons.
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Rodriguez played his final big league game on the final day of the 1976 season for rookie Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda. He spent the 1977 season with the Pittsburgh Pirates‘ Triple-A affiliate - and caught another no-hitter for the Columbus Clippers.
After playing a few more seasons in Mexico, Rodriguez transitioned to scouting. He also coached youth baseball in his native Puerto Rico, worked as a Player Development Consultant for the independent Atlantic League, and managed professional teams in Puerto Rico and Mexico.
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This story was originally published April 24, 2026 at 12:55 AM.