Dave Garcia
Dave Garcia | |
---|---|
San Diego, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
MLB statistics | |
Games | 618 |
Win–loss record | 307–311[1] |
Winning % | .497 |
Teams | |
As manager
As coach
|
David Garcia (September 15, 1920 – May 21, 2018)
Career
Garcia was born in
He began managing at age 27 in
The following season, in his 50th year, Garcia finally reached the majors as San Diego's third-base coach. He coached with the Padres (1970–73), Indians (1975–76; 1979) and Angels (1977) and in 1977 he was named manager of the Angels when Norm Sherry was fired on July 11. While the Angels continued to stumble under him in 1977 (with a 35–46 record), the Halos stood at 25–20 when Garcia was released in favor of Jim Fregosi on June 1, 1978.
Garcia got another chance to manage with the Cleveland Indians when Jeff Torborg was fired on July 23, 1979. Cleveland played at a 38–28 clip under Garcia for the remainder of the season, and compiled a mark of 52–51 during the strike-shortened 1981 campaign, but they never finished higher than fifth in the American League East. After a sixth-place finish in 1982, Garcia was fired. But he remained in the game into his mid 80s, as a coach for the Milwaukee Brewers (1983–84), a special assignment scout for the Brewers and Kansas City Royals, and — from 2000–02 — a coach with the Colorado Rockies. Garcia was named to the Rockies' staff when he was 79 years of age by then-skipper Buddy Bell.[6] He also scouted for other MLB teams, including the Seattle Mariners and Chicago Cubs.
As a minor league manager in the Giants, Padres and Angels organizations, Garcia won 889 games and lost 796 (.528) and won three championships. He is one of only four individuals to play, coach or announce professional baseball during part of eight decades. (Vin Scully, Tommy Lasorda and Don Zimmer being the other three.)
Managerial Record
Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
CAL | 1977 | 81 | 35 | 46 | .432 | Interim | – | – | – | |
CAL | 1978 | 46 | 25 | 21 | .543 | Fired | – | – | – | |
CAL total | 127 | 60 | 67 | .472 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
CLE | 1979 | 66 | 38 | 28 | .576 | Interim | – | – | – | |
CLE | 1980 | 160 | 79 | 81 | .494 | 6th in the AL East | – | – | – | |
CLE | 1981 | 50 | 26 | 24 | .520 | 6th in the AL East | – | – | – | |
53 | 26 | 27 | .491 | 5th in the AL East | ||||||
CLE | 1982 | 162 | 78 | 84 | .481 | 7th in the AL East | – | – | – | |
CLE total | 491 | 244 | 247 | .497 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
Total[7] | 618 | 307 | 311 | .497 | 0 | 0 | – |
Personal life
Garcia's son David was the Yankees first-round pick—the 11th player taken overall—in the secondary phase of the January 1978 draft. He spent two years in the Yankee systems. Garcia also had two grandsons play professional baseball.
Dave Garcia died in
References
- ^ "Dave Garcia Managerial Record - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
- ^ admin (May 30, 2018). "David GARCIA Obituary". Legacy.com. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
- ^ "Dave Garcia". www.retrosheet.org. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
- ^ a b Sandomir, Richard (May 24, 2018). "Dave Garcia, M.L.B. Manager and Minor League Mainstay, Dies at 97". The New York Times. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
- ISBN 0-89204-009-2.
- ^ retrosheet.org
- ^ "Dave Garcia Managerial Record". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
- ^ "Greg Garcia profile". Scout.com. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
- ^ Noga, Joe (May 22, 2018). "Former Cleveland Indians Manager Dave Garcia Dies at 97". Cleveland.com. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
External links
- Career statistics and manager information from Baseball-Reference
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference (Minors)
- Etkin, Jack. "A Baseball Elder's Feel for the Game Endures", The New York Times, Sunday, May 3, 2009.