Iconic Manager Whitey Herzog Dies at 92
Whitey Herzog, a smart and tough Hall of Fame manager, passed away at the age of 92. He led the St. Louis Cardinals to three big wins and a World Series victory in the 1980s. He was famous for his clever style of play called “Whiteyball.”
Brian Bartow, who speaks for the Cardinals, said on Tuesday that Herzog’s family had told the team about his death. The team wasn’t sure if he died on Monday night or Tuesday. On April 4, Herzog attended the Cardinals’ home opener at Busch Stadium.
Herzog, a tough, no-nonsense guy with a crew cut and a bit of a belly, joined the Cardinals in 1980. He didn’t like the friendly, buddy-buddy way of managing. He helped the team win after more than ten years without winning by changing their game to fit the type of field they played on. They played at Busch Memorial Stadium, which had fake grass and faraway fences. When Herzog was in charge, the Cardinals usually won with just one more run than the other team. They did this by using a bunch of different pitchers, sometimes even switching them out after just one pitch. They might even put a pitcher in the outfield for a bit, then bring them back to pitch again.
The Cardinals had some big hitters like George Hendrick and Jack Clark, but they mostly relied on fast runners like Vince Coleman and Willie McGee, along with Ozzie Smith’s amazing fielding. Their pitchers, like John Tudor and Danny Cox, did a great job, and they had reliable relief pitchers such as Todd Worrell, Ken Dayley, and Jeff Lahti. In 1982, instead of switching pitchers often, their manager, Herzog, usually just brought in Bruce Sutter to finish the game.
In his book “White Rat: A Life in Baseball,” published in 1987, Herzog said that the media didn’t like the way his team played baseball. They didn’t appreciate our focus on speed, defense, and hitting line drives. They called it “Whiteyball” and doubted if it could be successful in the long run.
Under Herzog, the Cardinals won important titles in 1982, 1985, and 1987. They became World Series champions in 1982 by defeating the Milwaukee Brewers in seven games. Before that, Herzog managed the Kansas City Royals from 1976 to 1978. Although they won division titles those years, they couldn’t beat the New York Yankees in the league championship games.
Herzog was a manager for 18 seasons. He won 1,281 games and lost 1,125. He was Manager of the Year in 1985. In 2010, he was voted into the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee. They said he was known for being serious yet friendly and for focusing on speed, pitching, and defense. Right before he entered the Hall of Fame, the Cardinals retired his jersey number, 24.
When someone asked him about how to manage well, he’d say it’s about having a good sense of humor and a strong team ready to help out.
Dorrel Norman Elvert Herzog was born in New Athens, Illinois, a town known for hardworking folks. He was really good at baseball and basketball, and sometimes he’d skip school to watch the Cardinals play. The Yankees noticed his talent and signed him up. He played as a center fielder, but soon found out he had competition from another young player, Mickey Mantle, who was born just a few weeks before him.
Herzog wasn’t a Yankees player, but he got to meet their manager Casey Stengel, who shuffled players expertly. Stengel had a big impact on Herzog. Herzog earned the nickname “The White Rat” because he looked like a Yankees pitcher called Bob “The White Rat” Kuzava.
Herzog wasn’t a standout player like many successful managers. He played for eight seasons but only had an average batting record of .257. His top year was in 1961 when he hit .291 while playing for Baltimore. He also played for teams like the Washington Senators, Kansas City Athletics, and Detroit Tigers. He retired from playing in 1963 with the Tigers.
Also Read: Kyle Marisa Roth Sadly Passes Away At 36
“I’ve found that baseball treats me well when I stop trying so hard to play it,” he used to say.
After working as a scout and coach, Herzog got a job with the New York Mets in 1967. He helped develop future stars like Tom Seaver and Nolan Ryan. The Mets planned for him to become their manager after Gil Hodges, but when Hodges passed away in 1972, Yogi Berra got the job instead. Herzog then managed the Texas Rangers in 1973 but didn’t do well and was replaced by Billy Martin. He briefly managed the Angels in 1974 before joining the Kansas City Royals in 1975. His best time with them was in 1977 when the team had a great season, finishing with 102 wins and 60 losses.
Many players liked Herzog, but he wasn’t afraid to get rid of ones he didn’t want anymore, like Lonnie Smith and Joaquin Andujar from the Cardinals. One trade he made was great: he swapped Garry Templeton for Ozzie Smith, who became known as the best defensive shortstop ever. Another trade didn’t work out as well: he traded Keith Hernandez, who he had argued with, to the Mets for Neil Allen and Rick Ownbey. Hernandez helped the Mets win the World Series in 1986, while Allen and Ownbey didn’t make much impact.
Herzog was really tough on himself. He quit in 1990 because he felt bad about the team’s 33-47 record. After that, he helped out the Angels as a consultant and general manager in the early ’90s. He also thought about managing the Red Sox briefly before the 1997 season.
His best moment in his career was winning the championship in ’82. But his worst moment came in ’85 during the series against his old team, the Royals. The Cardinals were winning 1-0 in Game 6, but in the last inning, things went wrong. Worrell was supposed to help them win, but it didn’t happen.
Jorge Orta was the first batter. He hit the ball between the pitcher and the first baseman. The umpire, Don Denkinger, said he was safe, even though replays showed he was out. This bad call changed the game. Kansas City scored two runs and won Game 6, tying the series. Then they won Game 7 by a big margin, beating the Cardinals 11-0.
Herzog later said to the AP, “I’m not mad at Denkinger. He’s a good guy who made a mistake, like anyone can. It just happened at a bad time. I do believe they should use instant replay in the playoffs and World Series.”
They put Herzog, a baseball manager, into the Hall of Fame along with Doug Harvey, who was an umpire. It was almost like they were testing if Herzog had a sense of humor!
“At that moment, Herzog joked, ‘I don’t understand why he’s being allowed in. Doug has thrown me out of more games than any other umpire.”
Join WhatsApp channel: weekly wakeup
