In baseball's long history, few things match the magic of brothers playing in the major leagues. While sibling pairs like Joe and Dom DiMaggio are well-known, what about families that sent three or more brothers to the big leagues? Let's take a trip through baseball history to find these remarkable baseball families.

The Alou Baseball Dynasty
The Alou brothers - Felipe, Matty, and Jesús - stand as perhaps the most famous trio of baseball-playing brothers.

Felipe Alou (OF/1B, SFG) started in 1958, playing 17 seasons with a .286 batting average and 206 home runs. He later became a successful manager.

Matty Alou (OF, SFG) joined the majors in 1960. Once a light hitter, he transformed his approach and won the 1966 National League batting title with a .342 average.

Jesús Alou (OF, SFG) completed the trio in 1963. On September 15 of that year, all three Alou brothers played in the same Giants outfield - the only time three brothers appeared in the same outfield in MLB history.

The Alou baseball legacy continued with Moises Alou (OF, MON), Felipe's son, who had a stellar career with a .303 lifetime average and 332 home runs.

The Delahanty Brothers: A Record Five
The Delahanty family from Cleveland sent an incredible five brothers to the major leagues in the late 1800s and early 1900s:

  • Ed Delahanty (OF/1B, PHI) - The star of the family, Ed hit .346 lifetime and entered the Hall of Fame in 1945. His career ended tragically when he died at age 35 after falling from a bridge in 1903.
  • Frank Delahanty (OF, NYY) - Played parts of five seasons between 1905-1910.
  • Jim Delahanty (2B, DET) - The most successful brother after Ed, Jim played 13 seasons with a .283 batting average.
  • Joe Delahanty (OF, STL) - Had a brief two-season career with the Cardinals.
  • Tom Delahanty (2B, CLE) - Played just one season in the majors in 1894.

The DiMaggio Brothers: Beyond Joltin' Joe
The DiMaggio name is baseball royalty, and all three brothers made the majors:

Joe DiMaggio (OF, NYY) needs little introduction. The Yankee Clipper's 56-game hitting streak, 13 All-Star selections, and 361 home runs made him an American icon.

Dom DiMaggio (OF, BOS) might have become more famous if not for his brother. "The Little Professor" earned seven All-Star selections and hit .298 lifetime with the Red Sox.

Vince DiMaggio (OF, PIT) was the oldest brother and first to reach the majors. While not as talented as his brothers, he still made two All-Star teams and hit 125 career home runs.

The O'Neill Brothers: A 19th Century Trio
The O'Neill brothers played in the 1800s:

  • Mike "Tip" O'Neill (OF/1B, STL) - Hit .326 over his career and won the American Association batting title in 1887 with a remarkable .435 average.
  • Jack O'Neill (C, STL) - Caught for six seasons in the majors.
  • Steve O'Neill (C, CLE) - Had the longest career of the brothers, playing 17 seasons and later becoming a successful manager.

The Coveleski Brothers: Pitching Prowess

  • Stan Coveleski (RHP, CLE) - A Hall of Famer who won 215 games with a 2.89 ERA. His spitball was so good he was allowed to keep throwing it after the pitch was banned.
  • Harry Coveleski (LHP, DET) - Won 81 games in his career, including 22 in 1914.
  • John Coveleski - Pitched just three games in the majors.

More Modern Trios

The Cruz Brothers

  • José Cruz (OF, HOU) - The most accomplished, with 2,251 hits and a .284 average over 19 seasons.
  • Héctor Cruz (OF/3B, STL) - Played parts of nine seasons in the majors.
  • Tommy Cruz (OF, STL) - Had a brief career in the early 1970s.

The Molina Brothers: Catching Excellence

The Molina brothers all played the same position and all won World Series rings:

  • Bengie Molina (C, LAA) - A two-time Gold Glove winner who hit .274 in his 13-year career.
  • José Molina (C, LAA) - Played 15 seasons as a defensive specialist.
  • Yadier Molina (C, STL) - The most accomplished, with 10 All-Star selections, nine Gold Gloves, and two World Series championships.

The Boyer Brothers

  • Cloyd Boyer (RHP, STL) - Pitched for the Cardinals and Athletics in the 1950s.
  • Ken Boyer (3B, STL) - An MVP and seven-time All-Star who hit 282 home runs.
  • Clete Boyer (3B, NYY) - Known for his defensive wizardry at third base for the Yankees.

Lesser-Known Brother Trios

The Gonzalez Brothers

  • David Gonzalez (SS, SD) - Had a brief MLB career.
  • Edgar Gonzalez (2B, SD) - Played parts of three seasons.
  • Adrian Gonzalez (1B, SD) - The standout, with five All-Star selections and four Gold Gloves.

The May Brothers

  • Carlos May (OF, CHW) - A two-time All-Star who lost part of his thumb in a Marine Corps accident.
  • Lee May (1B, CIN) - Hit 354 home runs and made three All-Star teams.

The Hairston Baseball Family

The Hairstons represent one of baseball's greatest multi-generational families:

  • Sam Hairston (C, CHW) - The patriarch, who broke into the majors in 1951.
  • Jerry Hairston Sr. (OF, CHW) - Played 14 seasons as an outfielder and pinch-hitter.
  • Jerry Hairston Jr. (IF/OF, BAL) - Versatile player who won a World Series with the Yankees.
  • Scott Hairston (OF, ARI) - Power-hitting outfielder who played for seven teams.
  • John Hairston (2B, CHC) - Had a brief call-up with the Cubs.

Triple Brother Combos That Span Generations

While not all playing at the same time, some families managed to send three brothers to the majors across different eras:

The Bell Family

  • Gus Bell (OF, CIN) - Four-time All-Star in the 1950s.
  • Buddy Bell (3B, CLE) - Five-time All-Star and six-time Gold Glove winner.
  • David Bell (3B, PHI) - Solid infielder who later became a manager.

The Torre Family

  • Frank Torre (1B, MIL) - Played seven seasons in the majors.
  • Joe Torre (C/1B/3B, STL) - Hall of Famer as a manager who was also an MVP as a player.
  • Phil Torre - Had a brief MLB career.

Brothers Who Nearly Made It

Some families had two brothers reach the majors with a third who came close:

  • The Niekro brothers, Phil and Joe, both made the majors with their knuckleballs, but their third brother never reached the big leagues.
  • The Ripken family saw Cal and Billy make the majors, with their father Cal Sr. serving as a coach and manager rather than as a player.

The Stats Behind Baseball's Brotherhood

Looking at the numbers for all MLB brother combinations with three or more siblings:

  • Total number of families with 3+ brothers in MLB: 26
  • Family with most MLB brothers: Delahanty (5)
  • Families with 4 MLB brothers: 3 (Foreman, Stovey, Garvin)
  • Total career WAR leader among all brothers: Joe DiMaggio (78.1)
  • Most combined All-Star appearances by brothers: DiMaggio brothers (22)
  • Highest combined batting average (min. 1000 AB each): Alou brothers (.290)

Why So Many Brothers?

Baseball's history of brother combinations points to several factors:

  1. Shared early training and practice time
  2. Family mentorship and coaching
  3. Genetic athletic advantages
  4. Networking opportunities once one brother establishes himself
  5. Family baseball traditions and environments

The Brothers Behind The Scenes

For every set of three brothers who made it to the majors, many more had two make it with others playing in the minor leagues. The path to the majors is tough - having fewer than 1% of all baseball players reach MLB means having three brothers all beat those odds is truly special.

Today's MLB Brother Combinations

While this article focused on trios and larger groups before 1999, baseball continues to see brothers making their mark. The Seager brothers (Corey, Kyle, and Justin - though Justin didn't reach MLB), the Marte brothers, and others carry on this tradition.

Final Thoughts

Baseball's brother combinations remind us of the sport's deep family connections. From the five Delahanty brothers in the 19th century to the Molina brothers behind the plate in recent years, these siblings brought their backyard competitions to the biggest stage in baseball.

When three or more brothers reach the highest level of any sport, it represents something truly special - a combination of genetic gifts, shared childhood development, and a family passion that burns bright enough to beat the long odds of making the majors.

Footnotes

  1. Alou family statistics from Baseball-Reference.com, accessed July 2025.
  2. Delahanty, Ed. National Baseball Hall of Fame biography, accessed July 2025.
  3. DiMaggio, Joe. Career statistics from Baseball-Reference.com, WAR figure of 78.1 from same source.
  4. Molina brothers World Series championships: Bengie (2002 Angels), José (2002 Angels), Yadier (2006, 2011 Cardinals).
  5. Combined WAR figures calculated using Baseball-Reference version of WAR, cross-checked with FanGraphs.
  6. Alou brothers combined batting average calculated from career totals available on Baseball-Reference.
  7. Statistical data on all brother combinations compiled from Baseball-Reference.com and SABR biographical database.
  8. Information on the September 15, 1963 game with all three Alou brothers in the outfield verified through newspaper archives and official MLB game logs.