Joseph Charles Sambito was born on June 28, 1952, in Brooklyn, New York, the first child for Anthony and Jennie (Olivieri) Sambito. All four of his grandparents came to the United States from Italy and settled in Brooklyn. (His parents grew up about 150 feet from each other). His father worked as a foreman in the textile industry, and transferred his love of baseball to his firstborn.

Considering that his professional career almost ended before it started because of an arm injury coinciding with draft possibilities, Joe made the most of his opportunity. His future in the game teetered several times, but for a period of five years, 1977-1981, the left-hander was arguably one of the best relievers in the National League.

An elbow injury in 1982 changed the trajectory of his career, but Sambito, the grandson of Italian immigrants, still managed to get to the pinnacle of the baseball world by pitching in the All-Star Game in 1979 (see 2:23:40) and the World Series in 1986. He was also one of the early LOOGY's when he pitched for the Boston Red Sox in the second half of 1986 and in 1987.

In his Letters from Home Plate response, Joe lists Mickey Mantle as his favorite player growing up, Manny Mota & George Foster as the toughest hitters he ever faced, and the Astrodome as his favorite park to play in.

Post-retirement, Joe has worked in Sports Management.

(excerpted from Wikipedia, BR Bullpen & SABR)