Series hero, brother to Joe Torre

Frank Torre, the World Series star who helped put little brother Joe on a path that led to the Hall of Fame, died Saturday at 82 in Palm Beach, Fla.

He previously had received heart and kidney transplants, and had been ill in recent years with cancer.

Mr. Torre played seven seasons in the majors with the Milwaukee Braves and Philadelphia Phillies. Though he hit only 13 home runs in 1,482 career at-bats, he homered twice in 10 at-bats during the 1957 World Series as Milwaukee beat the New York Yankees for its only championship. In Game 7, he drove in a run at Yankee Stadium during a 5-0 victory.

Mr. Torre was nearly nine years older than Joe and guided his signing with the Braves and was long his mentor. Joe Torre had a fine career as a player, won four titles while managing the Yankees andwas inducted into the Hall in July. Joe said that among all the great advice he got his older brother, there was one time he missed: when Joe was considering a job offer to manage the Yankees.

“Frank said Iwas crazy to take this job,” Joe joked.

In his first season with the Yankees, Joe Torre guided them to the World Series title. Frank Torre was in the hospital recovering from a heart transplant the day before when he watched the Yankees clinch the crown. Earlier that year, the Torres’ older brother, Rocco, died of a heart attack. When Joe Torre was asked to help design the Yankees’ championship ring, he had theword “heart” inscribed as a tribute to his brothers and the team.