Matthew Joseph Galante (born March 22, 1944) is a former minor League baseball infielder and Major League

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

and acting

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

Playing career

The , Galante attended St. John's University. While at St. John's in 1964, he played collegiate summer baseball for the

Cotuit Kettleers The Cotuit Kettleers are a collegiate summer baseball team based in the village of Cotuit, Massachusetts, which is in the southwest corner of the town of Barnstable. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the lea ...

of the Cape Cod Baseball League and was named a league all-star. Galante was selected as the 833rd and final pick of the 1966 Major League Baseball draft by the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

. He played in the Yankees system from 1966 to 1971, and spent the 1972 and 1973 seasons with the

Evansville Triplets The Evansville Triplets were a Minor League Baseball team of the Triple-A American Association (AA) from 1970 to 1984. They were located in Evansville, Indiana, and played their home games at Bosse Field. The Triplets served as a farm club for t ...

, the AAA affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers.

Coaching career

After his playing career ended, he spent several years as a minor league manager and scout. He was a Houston Astros coach from

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

to 2001 with the exception of

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...

, when he worked in the club's front office and then stepped in as manager of the

AAA AAA, Triple A, or Triple-A is a three-letter initialism or abbreviation which may refer to: Airports * Anaa Airport in French Polynesia (IATA airport code AAA) * Logan County Airport (Illinois) (FAA airport code AAA) Arts, entertainment, and me ...

New Orleans Zephyrs when

Steve Swisher Steven Eugene Swisher (born August 9, 1951) is an American former professional baseball player and minor league manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, and San Diego Padres from 1974 to ...

resigned a few days into the season. Matt Galante was acting manager of the Houston Astros for 27 games in

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

, when the manager

Larry Dierker Lawrence Edward Dierker (born September 22, 1946) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher, manager, and broadcaster. During a 14-year baseball career as a pitcher, he pitched from 1964 to 1977 for the Houston Colt .45s/Astros and the St. Loui ...

was sidelined for health reasons. He compiled a record of 13–14. He was a member of the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

coaching staff from 2002 to 2004. He rejoined the Astros front office in 2005. Craig Biggio credited Galante with assisting him in transitioning from a

Catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the ( home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the ca ...

to a Second Baseman, a move that extended his career to 20 years in the Majors. In his Hall of Fame address, he asked Galante to stand up for special recognition, saying, "I wouldn't be here without him." Galante also managed the Italian baseball team as a part of the 2006 World Baseball Classic. He is currently an Astros' scout.

References

1944 births Living people All-American college baseball players American people of Italian descent Sportspeople from Brooklyn St. John's Red Storm baseball players Cotuit Kettleers players Houston Astros managers Houston Astros coaches Houston Astros scouts New York Mets coaches Syracuse Chiefs players Sportspeople from Staten Island Baseball players from New York City Binghamton Triplets players Evansville Triplets players Greensboro Yankees players Manchester Yankees players {{Baseball-manager-stub