September 26, 1999 – Brooklyn native Matt Galante was a student at St. John’s University when he was selected by the Yankees in the 1966 amateur draft. The 5-foot-6, 157-pound infielder played for eight years in the minor-league systems of the Yankees and Brewers. Between 1973 and 1984, he spent 12 seasons as a minor-league manager for the Brewers, Mets, and Astros. Except for 1997, when he had a front-office position, he was a Houston Astros coach from 1985 to 2001. In 1999 Galante served as acting manager of the Astros for 27 games while Larry Dierker was dealing with health issues. After coaching for the Mets from 2002 to 2004, he returned to the Astros front office. In 2006 he managed Team Italy in the inaugural World Baseball Classic.