Whitey Herzog

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Whitey Herzog bigraphy, stories - American baseball player and coach

Whitey Herzog : biography

November 9, 1921 –

Dorrel Norman Elvert "Whitey" Herzog ( born November 9, 1931 in New Athens, Illinois) is a former Major League Baseball manager. Born in New Athens, Illinois, he made his debut as a player in 1956 with the Washington Senators. After his playing career ended in 1963, Herzog went on to perform a variety of roles in Major League Baseball, including scout, manager, general manager and farm system director. Most noted for his success as a manager, he led the Kansas City Royals to three consecutive playoff appearances from 1976 to 1978. Hired by Gussie Busch in 1980 to helm the St. Louis Cardinals, the Cardinals won the 1982 World Series and made two other World Series appearances in 1985 and 1987 under Herzog’s direction. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on July 25, 2010.

Playing career

A left-handed batter and thrower, Herzog originally signed with the New York Yankees. While he never appeared in a major league game for them, Herzog was profoundly influenced by their manager, Casey Stengel, during several spring training sessions with the Yanks. After being traded by New York as a prospect, he played for the Washington Senators (1956–1958), Kansas City Athletics (1958–1960), Baltimore Orioles (1961–1962) and Detroit Tigers (1963). In eight seasons, Herzog batted .254 with 25 home runs, 172 runs batted in, 213 runs scored, 60 doubles, 20 triples, and 13 stolen bases in 634 games. In reference to his success as a player versus his success as a manager, Herzog once said, "Baseball has been good to me since I quit trying to play it." (Herzog has made this statement several times, most recently in an interview with Fox Sports Midwest which has aired several times in August and September 2007 during St. Louis Cardinals rain delays).

Managerial career

Texas Rangers

Perceiving Grant’s actions as a snub, Herzog left the Mets to accept the first managerial assignment of his career when he signed a two-year contract with the Texas Rangers on November 2, 1972. He took over a ballclub that finished 1972 in last place in the American League (AL) West with the majors’ worst record at 54–100 under Ted Williams. Hired based on recommendations from general manager Joe Burke to owner Bob Short, Herzog had the understanding that he was to help develop the team’s young prospects.Rogers, Phil. The Impossible Takes A Little Longer. Dallas, TX: Taylor Publishing Company, 1990.

His debut at the helm was a 3–1 Rangers loss to the Chicago White Sox at Arlington Stadium on April 7, 1973. His first victory was a 4–0 decision over the Kansas City Royals five nights later on April 12 at Royals Stadium.

He never got the chance to finish the 1973 season. Three days after a 14–0 defeat to the White Sox at Comiskey Park and Texas with a 47–91 record, he was dismissed on September 7. He was succeeded in the interim for one game by Del Wilber and in the longer term by Billy Martin, who had been fired by the Detroit Tigers on August 30. Short defended the change by telling reporters, "If my mother were managing the Rangers and I had the opportunity to hire Billy Martin, I’d fire my mother."

Managerial success

Herzog continued building his managerial credentials with the California Angels (1974 on an interim basis; as a coach, he filled in between the firing of Bobby Winkles and the hiring of Dick Williams.), Kansas City Royals (1975–1979) and St. Louis Cardinals (1980–90). He had his greatest success in Kansas City, where he won three straight American League Western division titles from 1976 to 1978, and in St. Louis, where he won the 1982 World Series and the National League Pennant in 1985 and 1987. In total, he led six division winners, three pennant winners, and one World Series winner in compiling a 1,281–1,125 (.532) career record.

With his extensive background in player development, Herzog also was a general manager with both the Cardinals (1980–1982) and the California Angels. He succeeded Jack Krol as manager of the Redbirds in 1980, managed for 73 games, then moved into the club’s front office as GM on August 26, turning the team over to Red Schoendienst. During the offseason, Herzog reclaimed the manager job, then held both the GM and field manager posts with St. Louis for almost two full seasons, during which he acquired or promoted many players who would star on the Cards’ three World Series teams of the 1980s.