With a flattop haircut, pointed opinions and a Midwestern sensibility, Whitey Herzog cast a Corridor of Fame profession managing Main League Baseball’s two Missouri groups by implementing a method that bears little resemblance to at this time’s recreation.
Herzog’s signature 1982 World Collection champion St. Louis Cardinals crew adopted a number of profitable but finally irritating seasons with the Kansas Metropolis Royals and was adopted by two extra World Collection appearances with the Cardinals. All have been constructed on velocity, protection and a deep bullpen with Herzog not caring a whit about house runs.
He additionally managed the Angels for 4 video games in 1974 and was one thing of an absentee entrance workplace government from 1991 till he abruptly resigned a month earlier than 1994 spring coaching, the membership no nearer to giving common proprietor Gene Autry a World Collection than when Herzog got here aboard.
Herzog died Monday at age 92.
“Whitey spent his previous few days surrounded by his household,” the Herzog household stated in an announcement launched by the Cardinals. “We’ve got so appreciated all the prayers and assist from buddies who knew he was very sick. Though it’s exhausting for us to say goodbye, his peaceable passing was a blessing for him.”
Dorrel Norman Elvert Herzog grew up in New Athens, Unwell., to working-class dad and mom. As a teen, Herzog, known as Relly by household and buddies, would hitchhike to Sportsman’s Park to look at Cardinals video games, arriving early sufficient to grab up batting follow balls that he and buddies would use throughout pickup video games.
The left-handed Herzog starred in baseball and basketball in highschool and was signed by the New York Yankees after graduating in 1949. He picked up the nickname “Whitey” from a broadcaster whereas enjoying within the minors.
In 4 years he superior from Class D to Class AAA, however after the 1952 season he was drafted into the Army and spent two years within the Army Corps of Engineers. Upon ending his hitch and returning to baseball in 1955, Herzog had a breakout season, batting .289 with 21 house runs and 98 runs batted in at Class AAA Denver.
Throughout spring coaching he was taken underneath the wing of Casey Stengel, the legendary Yankees supervisor who received seven World Collection titles from 1949 to 1958 and whose pearls of knowledge in fractured English have been priceless.
“After I met Stengel, it was like an enlightening factor as a result of I might go to mattress at evening, as an alternative of eager about women, I might be eager about what the hell he talked about all day,” Herzog stated throughout his 2010 Corridor of Fame induction speech.
“Casey and I used to take a seat within the press room throughout spring coaching and each evening we might have just a few pops and discuss baseball, amongst different issues. And Casey informed me so many issues that I have been utilizing the remainder of my life. For some cause he knew I used to be going to be a giant league supervisor.”
Herzog by no means obtained to play for the Yankees. He was traded shortly earlier than opening day in 1956 to the Washington Senators and batted .245 as a beginning outfielder. He performed eight seasons within the majors, batting .257 with 25 house runs and 172 RBIs in 1,614 at-bats with the Senators, Kansas Metropolis Athletics, Baltimore Orioles and Detroit Tigers.
He spent the 1964 season scouting for the Athletics, then served because the New York Mets’ first-base coach in 1965 earlier than changing into director of participant growth for the following six years. Herzog was handed over in favor of Yogi Berra to exchange deceased Mets supervisor Gil Hodges earlier than the 1972 season and was employed to handle the Texas Rangers a 12 months later.
Herzog gave little indication he’d turn out to be a Corridor of Fame supervisor — the Rangers have been 47-91 once they fired him as a result of Billy Martin grew to become obtainable. In 1974, he grew to become the Angels’ third-base coach and managed the crew for 4 midseason video games after Bobby Winkles was fired and earlier than Dick Williams was employed, going 2-2.
Royals common supervisor Joe Burke gave Herzog his first huge break, hiring him in late July after firing Jack McKeon regardless of the crew’s 50-46 report. The Royals — as did the Cardinals within the Nineteen Eighties — performed on synthetic turf, and Herzog acknowledged that gamers with velocity and slick gloves tailored finest on a floor that noticed floor balls zip by means of the infield.
“The important thing to having a superb crew on turf is that it’s important to have an actual good-throwing shortstop, as a result of he must play deep and make a whole lot of throws from the opening,” Herzog stated.
Freddie Patek was Herzog’s shortstop in Kansas Metropolis, nevertheless it was the participant standing subsequent to him at third base that made the most important impression: George Brett, who received the American League batting title in 1976. Seven Royals gamers stole not less than 20 bases that 12 months whereas the crew house run chief was Amos Otis with a paltry 18.
The Royals received the American League West in every of Herzog’s first three full seasons, but by no means reached the World Collection, shedding to the Yankees within the AL Championship Collection every year. In 1979 the Royals didn’t make the playoffs and Herzog was fired.
He did not go far to discover a new gig, changing Ken Boyer because the Cardinals’ supervisor 51 video games into the 1980 season. That fall he was named common supervisor as properly and enthusiastically embraced the position through the winter conferences, buying and selling six pitchers, three catchers, two infielders and one outfielder for 4 pitchers, two catchers and an outfielder.
Among the many noteworthy names that got here and went have been Bruce Sutter, Rollie Fingers, Ted Simmons, Terry Kennedy, Gene Tenace and Leon Durham. That offseason, Herzog additionally signed free agent Darrell Porter, who had been his catcher in Kansas Metropolis. In 1982, Porter was voted most beneficial participant of the NLCS and the World Collection for St. Louis.
“Every time I might get discouraged and begin feeling like I simply did not belong within the main leagues, Whitey was all the time there to carry my spirits,” Porter stated. “He would inform me, ‘You are my catcher. You may come again and you will be all proper tomorrow,’ and simply the best way he stated it made me consider in myself.”
A 12 months later, Herzog shuffled extra Playing cards, making strikes that set the stage for 3 World Collection appearances by buying and selling for acclaimed shortstop Ozzie Smith and outfielders Willie McGee and Lonnie Smith whereas additionally re-signing beginning pitcher Joaquin Andujar.
The roster was set for full-fledged ” Whitey Ball,” because it was recognized, and the 1982 Cardinals hit simply 67 house runs whereas stealing 200 bases to the soundtrack of “Celebration” by Kool and the Gang. St. Louis received the World Collection in seven video games over the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Cardinals ran much more when Herzog plugged Vince Coleman into the leadoff spot. The outfielder had 110 of the crew’s 314 stolen bases in 1985 and one other title may need resulted however for one of the crucial notorious blown calls in baseball historical past.
St. Louis led their intrastate rival Royals three video games to 2 and by one run in Recreation 6 of the World Collection when Jorge Orta led off the ninth with a floor ball to Cardinals first baseman Jack Clark. Pitcher Todd Worrell lined first, Clark tossed him the ball in time to report the out … besides that umpire Don Denkinger known as Orta secure.
The shaken Cardinals imploded, shedding that recreation and Recreation 7 the following day. ”We had the damned World Collection received,” Herzog stated.
St. Louis returned to the World Collection as soon as extra underneath Herzog, shedding in seven video games to the Minnesota Twins in 1987. Herzog resigned midway by means of the 1990 season, lamenting that he might not encourage his gamers.
“I used to be completely embarrassed by the best way our crew performed,” stated Herzog, whose lifetime report was 1,281 wins, 1,125 losses and three ties. “I simply really feel very badly for the ball membership, the group and the followers.”
The Angels employed Herzog in September 1991 as senior vice chairman of participant personnel, hoping his analysis acumen might elevate a franchise that had by no means been to a World Collection. As an alternative, in his 2½ years on the job the Angels regressed. Herzog was pissed off by payroll constraints imposed by Gene and Jackie Autry and the burgeoning position of brokers in negotiating contracts.
“Whitey is the kind who, when he needs to get one thing carried out, he needs to do it now and is probably not a diplomat if he is prevented from it,” Angels supervisor Buck Rodgers stated on the time. “If the time was proper, he needed to really feel he might go get that another man.”
Herzog had developed a friendship with Gene Autry as an Angels coach years earlier, and the Singing Cowboy allowed Herzog to work out of his house in St. Louis. The association proved problematic, although crew president Richard Brown insisted to the top that it wasn’t. “I maintain a beeper with me always,” Brown stated the day Herzog resigned. “It has an 800 quantity. I used to be by no means out of contact with Whitey.”
Retired from baseball, Herzog was by no means removed from the sport. He’d floor every spring — and typically through the season — and was all the time prepared to voice his opinions.
“The state of the sport in baseball is about as dangerous as I’ve ever seen it,” Herzog informed the St. Louis Put up-Dispatch shortly earlier than turning 90 in 2021. “It is all strikeouts and residential runs and a excessive variety of pitches.”
“After which, the commissioner [ Rob Manfred], who’s by no means worn a jockstrap, has all these guidelines … and the best way each supervisor is utilizing his bullpen now … out of 54 outs each evening, you have obtained about 22 strikeouts between the 2 groups and 10 walks. So you have obtained 32 guys each evening that do not hit the baseball.”
Groups on common hit about 170 house runs and stole 85 bases in 2022, the polar reverse of his Nineteen Eighties groups. Herzog died believing Whitey Ball was extra thrilling than the present model of baseball.
“The followers cherished it,” he informed the Put up-Dispatch. “I nonetheless have followers day-after-day that need to shake my hand for giving them thrilling baseball for 10 years. On the grocery retailer, on the gasoline station, on the financial institution … all people who acknowledges me remembers the ’80s.”
Herzog is survived by his spouse of 71 years, Mary Lou, kids Debbie Urick, David Herzog and Jim Herzog. His grandson John Urick performed six seasons within the minor leagues.
This story initially appeared in Los Angeles Instances.
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