September 22, 2015; May 27, 2016 – Al Ferrara, the son of Al Ferrara, Sr., a New York City fireman, and Adele Paulucci Ferrara, grew up on East Second Street in Brooklyn. His maternal grandmother, Assunta Paulucci, as well as an aunt and several uncles, lived in the same building. Then, after his mother passed away when Al was 17, Assunta moved into the Ferrara’s apartment to help care for Al and his 12-year-old twin siblings. When Al was eight years old and preferred to play baseball, Assunta insisted that he take piano lessons. In spite of his initial reluctance, by the time he was 16 he was good enough to play a recital at Carnegie Hall.

But that was just the beginning for Alfred John Ferrara, Jr. He appeared in several films and television shows between 1953 and 1978 and played on two World Series-winning teams with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1963 and 1965. In 1966, when the Dodgers were swept by the Orioles, he hit a single in his only plate appearance in a World Series game. His Dodgers uniform number 20 is retired, though only because it was worn by future Hall of Famer Don Sutton after Ferrara opted to switch to number 9 in honor of Ted Williams.

Nicknamed “The Bull” for his muscular build, Ferrara spent five years with the Dodgers between 1963 and 1968 before being selected by the San Diego Padres in the 1968 expansion draft. After two seasons with San Diego, he split his final season between the Padres and the Cincinnati Reds. In his eight-year career, the 6-foot-1, 200-pound outfielder hit .259 with 51 home runs and 198 RBIs.