Legendary MLB manager Whitey Herzog dead at 92
Herzog helped the Cardinals to a World Series in 1982
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Baseball Hall of Famer Whitey Herzog, who won a World Series as manager with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1982, has died, the team announced Tuesday. He was 92.
Herzog played eight years in the majors before heading into the dugout. He was a manager for the Texas Rangers and California Angels for part of the 1973 and 1974 seasons, respectively, before finding some success with the Kansas City Royals and later the Cardinals.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Manager Whitey Herzog, #24 of the St. Louis Cardinals, looks on from the dugout prior to the start of a Major League Baseball game circa 1989. (Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
"The entire Cardinals family is heartbroken to learn of the passing of Hall of Famer and World Series champion manager Whitey Herzog at the age of 92," the Cardinals said in a statement posted to X.
With the Cardinals, he won three pennants and the World Series. His managerial style during his time in St. Louis was known as "Whiteyball." He relied on defense and bullpen-by-committee relief pitching.
"They (the media) seemed to think there was something wrong with the way we played baseball, with speed and defense and line-drive hitters," Herzog wrote in his memoir "White Rat: A Life in Baseball" in 1987. "They called it 'Whiteyball' and said it couldn't last."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Herzog got his start with the Washington Nationals in 1956 after being traded from the New York Yankees and played for the team for nearly three seasons before his contract was purchased by the Kansas City Athletics.
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He played for the Baltimore Orioles and the Detroit Tigers before stepping away from MLB in 1963.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He got his first managerial gig with the Rangers in 1973, replacing Ted Williams. It was only the second year the Rangers had been playing in Texas. He was fired before the end of the season and replaced by Billy Martin.
Former St. Louis Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog is seen before the start a baseball game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Mets on Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023, in St. Louis, Missouri. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)
Herzog was the interim manager for the Angels in 1974 and for the Royals in 1975. He was given the role of full-time manager for the Royals and guided them through the 1979 season.
St. Louis made him the interim manager in 1980 and was promoted to full-time manager after that. He managed the Cardinals until 1990. He was 822-728 as the St. Louis manager.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Whitey Herzog was one of the most accomplished managers of his generation and a consistent winner with both ‘I-70’ franchises," MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. "He made a significant impact on the St. Louis Cardinals as both a manager and a general manager, with the Kansas City Royals as a manager and with the New York Mets in player development. Whitey’s Cardinals’ teams reached the World Series three times in the 1980s, winning the championship in 1982, by leaning on an identity of speed and defense that resonated with baseball fans across the world.
St. Louis Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog watches during Game 7 of the World Series against the Kansas City Royals in Kansas City, Oct. 27, 1985. (AP Photo)
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"On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend my deepest condolences to Whitey’s family, his friends across the game and the fans of the Cardinals and the Royals."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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