Steve Balboni is an American professional baseball player who played for the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers. Furthermore, Balboni played baseball as a first baseman and a designated hitter.
Likewise, Balboni hails from Brockton, Massachusetts. Moreover, he is married to his long-time partner and beautiful wife.
Balboni retired from professional baseball on October 2, 1993. During his retirement, he was a player for the Texas Rangers.
Tag along to read about his early life, wife, career, and the famous “Curse of the Balboni.”
As we look at his life in detail, let’s quickly glance at some quick facts about him.
Quick Facts | Steve Balboni
Full Name | Stephen Charles Balboni |
Birth Date | January 16, 1957 |
Birth Place | Brockton, Massachusetts |
Age | 66 years old |
Nickname | Bye-bye |
Religion | Unknown |
Nationality | American |
Education | Manchester Memorial High School Eckerd College |
Horoscope | Capricorn |
Father’s Name | Unknown |
Shirt number | 36, 66 |
Height | 6 feet 3 inches/190 cm |
Weight | 102 kg/225 lb |
Build | Muscular |
Hair Color | Black |
Eye Color | Black |
Position | First Baseman and Designated Hitter |
League | MLB, MiLB, CCBL |
Past Teams | New York Yankees, Kansas City Royals, Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers |
Marital Status | Married |
Spouse | Eve Balboni |
Children | Three Children |
Profession | Baseball Player |
Net Worth | $10 million |
Social Media | None |
Merch | Autographed Baseball Card, Rookie Card |
Last Update | November, 2023 |
Who is Steve Balboni? Early Life, Education & Family
Steve Balboni, AKA Bye-bye, was born on January 16, 1957, with the name of Stephen Charles Balboni. Furthermore, he was born in Brockton, Massachusetts.
Despite Balboni being a popular figure, the information regarding his parents is quite scarce.
Balboni was destined for greatness from a very young age. He used to play baseball with his friends and at school.
Furthermore, as a student, Balboni attended the Machester Memorial High School. Moreover, he played high school baseball at Manchester High School.
Balboni showed promising signs during his high school days. His ability to hit the ball with precision and power didn’t go unnoticed.
Furthermore, Balboni graduated from Manchester High School and had several universities to choose from. He decided to enroll in Eckerd College.
To study at Eckerd College, Balboni had to move states. So Balboni migrated to Florida from New Hampshire to bolster his career.
As achieving dreams require commitment and sacrifices, Balboni made a bold move at such a tender age.
Steve Balboni started his university studies at Eckerd College. Likewise, he started playing college baseball for Eckerd College.
Currently, the college plays in the NCAA II and is a member of the Sunshine State Conference.
How tall is Steve Balboni? | Age, Height & Physical Appearance
Balboni was born on January 16, 1957. Currently, he is 66 years old.
As Balboni was born on January 16, his zodiac sign is Capricorn. A Capricorn is known for being quick-minded and disciplined.
Likewise, one of their greatest quality is their loyalty and allegiance to an individual or organization.
So, how tall is the former baseball player? We can safely say that he has an exceptional height that everyone envies.
Steve Balboni stands at an outstanding tall height of 6 feet and 3 inches. His tall height allows him to gather enormous strength to strike the baseball with ferocity.
Furthermore, Balboni has a perfect weight of 102 kg. Similarly, Steve Balboni had black-colored hair and eyes.
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Baseball Career | Steve Balboni
Steve Balboni’s baseball career is an interesting story. Balboni had developed an early interest in baseball. Furthermore, Balboni was destined to win the World Series Championship from a very young age.
Balboni began his baseball playing days during his high school years. Balboni played school-level baseball for the Manchester Memorial High School.
Eckerd College
Furthermore, Balboni went on to study at Eckerd College. Likewise, he also played college-level baseball with the team.
Likewise, Balboni played for Eckerd from 1976 to 1978. Again, Balboni was a strong hitter while at Eckerd. He set the conference’s single-season home run record by banging in 26 home runs.
His record continues to remain tied up in the number one spot in the Sunshine State Conference.
Due to Balboni’s impressive batting abilities, he has received several awards and accolades.
Balboni was named twice to the All-Conference team. Also, he was included twice in the ABCA/Rawlings Division II All-American.
As a hard hitter, Sporting News included him in their All-American team in 1978.
Furthermore, Balboni’s record of 26 home runs in one season ranks as the eighth-highest home runs in the NCAA Division II history.
Balboni’s other major baseball contribution also comes at the collegiate level.
Collegiate Level
Before being drafted into the MLB, Balboni played collegiate baseball. Furthermore, he extensively played collegiate-level baseball.
Balboni played the collegiate summer baseball in the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) for the Falmouth Commodores in 1976. Likewise, he also played in the same league for Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox in 1977.
Similarly, he was a prolific player in the CCBL. However, Balboni’s batting abilities, unquestionably, are the best.
Balboni compiled an amazing 13 home runs in 1977. Furthermore, he was named the league’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 1977.
Balboni went on to be named the MVP of the all-star game held in Fenway Park. However, his achievements don’t end there.
Due to his amazing collegiate career, Steve Balboni was inducted into the CCBL Hall of Fame.
The MLB Draft
After playing college baseball and collegiate baseball for two years, Balboni made himself available for the MLB Draft.
Likewise, he was selected by the New York Yankees in the second round of the 1978 MLB Draft. Furthermore, the Yankees signed Balboni because he had tremendous power and strength in his batting abilities.
Similarly, Balboni only got the opportunity to play college baseball for two years.
MiLB Career
After signing for the Yankees, Balboni went on to play in the Minor League. Balboni didn’t disappoint even on the bigger stage. He continued displaying impressive performances and was in rock-solid form.
Balboni played for the Fort Lauderdale Yankees and Nashville Sounds in the Minor League.
Furthermore, he scored an outstanding 239 home runs in nine seasons in the minor league.
Also, during the nine seasons, Balboni compiled an amazing 772 runs.
Furthermore, Balboni became the leading home run-scorer in six different seasons. The seasons are 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1992, and 1993.
MLB Career
Balboni played for several MLB clubs in his professional career.
The most notable teams that he has played for are listed below.
- New York Yankees
- Kansas City Royals
- Seattle Mariners
- New York Yankees
- Texas Rangers
Firstly, Balboni played for the New York Yankees in 1981. Consequently, after playing for two seasons with the team, he went on to play for the Kansas City Royals.
In 1983, the Kansas City Royals traded him to the Seattle Mariners. Likewise, Balboni played for one season with the Seattle Mariners.
Moving forward, Balboni made a return to his first team, the New York Yankees. After spending one season with the Yankees, Balboni transferred to the Texas Rangers.
Highlights, Awards & Notable Achievements
Steve Balboni was a talented and impressive player throughout his career. During his MLB season, Balboni compiled an amazing 181 home runs in 11 seasons. Also, he accumulated 495 (Runs Batted In) in those 11 seasons.
Furthermore, one of his most notable seasons comes with the Kansas City Royals. Steve Balboni won the 1985 World Series Championship.
Likewise, he contributed significantly as a first baseman to win the 1985 World Series Championship.
Steve Balboni New York Yankees Jersey Number
During his spell with the Yankees, Balboni has been given different shirt numbers. The most famous ones are as follows.
- 1981- #36
- 1981- #66
- 1982- #36
- 1982- #66
- 1983- #28
- 1983- #66
- 1989- #50
- 1990- #45
Steve Balboni’s Baseball Card Value
Baseball Cards are trading cards related to professional baseball players. Steve Balboni has several baseball cards that are worth different prices.
Some of them are listed below.
- Team Issue Columbus Clippers Police #NNO Steve Balboni (1981)- $4.49
- Donruss #73 Steve Balboni (1983)- $0.26
- Topps #8 Steve Balboni (1983)- $0.26
Steve Balboni | Career Stats
Year | WAR | AB | H | HR | BA | R | RBI | SB | OBP | SLG |
Career | 0.9 | 3120 | 714 | 181 | .229 | 351 | 495 | 1 | .293 | .451 |
Learn more about his Major League and Minor League stats on Baseball-Reference and Fangraphs.
Who is Steve Balboni married to? | Wife & Children
So, who is the baseball superstar married to? Steve Balboni is married to his beautiful wife and partner, Eve Balboni. Together, the couple has three boys who are all grown up.
Furthermore, the pair share a happy and stable relationship.
The oldest son currently lives in West Orange. Likewise, the oldest of the three children is pursuing a doctorate in Clinical Psychology.
Likewise, the middle son is a police officer in Baltimore. The youngest son of the Balboni family works as a Chef in New York City.
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Steve Balboni | Personal Life
Curse of the Balboni
There is a famous curse that is connected with Steve Balboni. ESPN columnist Rany Jazayerli first proposed the curse.
The curse went like this. No team who struck more regular-season home runs than Balboni had in 1985 could ever win the World Series.
However, the alleged curse has been broken several times. Firstly, Mike Schmidt hit 48 home runs and won the World Series with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Nicknamed “Bye-Bye”
Interestingly, Balboni is also named “Bye-Bye” The amusing nickname has a funny story attached to it.
The nickname “Bye-Bye” results due to Balboni’s enormous strength. As Balboni batted incredibly well for the Royals and Yankees, he struck several home runs.
Due to this, he received the famous nickname “Bye-Bye.”
House in Berkeley
Steve Balboni has lived with his lover and wife in a beautiful house in Berkeley Heights since 1992. The pair purchased the house in the summer of 1992.
Since then, they have created countless memories in the house.
Likewise, the pair moved to the house when Balboni was a player for the Kansas City Royals. Moreover, the Balboni children were seven, five, and 18 months old when they moved to the new house.
However, Steve and Eve chose to sell the house as all three of their children had grown up and left the house.
Similarly, Eve picked the beautiful house located on Burlington Road by Eve.
What is Steve Balboni’s Net Worth? | Net Worth & Salary
So, what is the net worth of Balboni? Firstly, Balboni has accumulated his net worth through his playing career with several MLB teams like the New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals.
Furthermore, Balboni has also worked as a scout for the San Francisco Giants.
According to various online sources, Steve Balboni has a net worth of at least $10 million.
Moreover, Balboni and his wife, Eve, owned a luxurious house in Berkeley Heights.
Does Steve Balboni use social media? | Social Media Presence
No, Steve Balboni doesn’t use any social media. His lack of social media presence might be sad news for those of you who want to follow him on Instagram or Twitter.
The 64-year-old retired baseball player doesn’t have any public social media profiles. However, if you are interested in learning more about him, you can always check out Google and YouTube.
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Steve Balboni | Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Steve Balboni’s wife?
Steve Balboni is married to his long-time partner, Eve Balboni.
What is Steve Balboni’s nickname?
Steve Balboni’s nickname is “Bye-Bye.”
Is Steve Balboni Italian?
Despite being American, Balboni has an Italian family connection.
Does the Steve Balboni obituary belong to the former baseballer?
No, the obituary belongs to someone with the same name as the former baseballer Steve Balboni. The former Royals player is in his mid-60s and in good health.
(Make sure to comment down below if any information regarding Steve Balboni is missing.)
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