Frank Lucchesi
| Frank Lucchesi | |
|---|---|
San Francisco, California, U.S. | |
| Died: June 8, 2019 (aged 93) Colleyville, Texas, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Games managed | 715 |
| Managerial record | 316–399 |
| Winning percentage | .442 |
| Teams | |
| |
Frank Joseph Lucchesi (
Minor league career
A native of
His managerial career began in 1951 in the Class D
Manager of Phillies, Rangers, and Cubs
Lucchesi took over the Phillies at the beginning of the
After returning to
Lucchesi was auditioning rookie Bump Wills to take over Randle's second base job. When Randle complained publicly about being benched, Lucchesi was quoted as responding: "I'm sick and tired of punks making $80,000 a year moaning and groaning about their situation."[3] A few days later, before an exhibition game against the Minnesota Twins in Orlando, Randle and Lucchesi became embroiled in an argument. Randle struck his manager, who was still clad in street clothes, knocking Lucchesi to the ground and causing his hospitalization for a concussion and broken jaw.[4] Randle was suspended without pay for 30 days, fined an additional $10,000,[4] then traded to the New York Mets.
Meanwhile, Lucchesi recovered from his injuries and returned to the bench, but on June 21, with the 1977 Rangers stalled at 31–31, he was fired.[5] Randle was found guilty of assault, and Lucchesi later sued him for $200,000, blaming Randle for the loss of his job.[6] The case was settled, and in 1979–80 Lucchesi returned to the Rangers as third-base coach, serving under manager Pat Corrales, whom he had managed 15 years earlier in the Phillies' farm system.
In
Personal life
On June 8, 2019, Lucchesi died at his home in Colleyville, Texas, at the age of 93.[7]
References
- ^ Markusen, Bruce. "#CardCorner: 1988 Topps Frank Lucchesi," National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
- ^ "Randle punches Lucchesi". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. March 29, 1977. p. 11. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
- ^ The Cooperstown Symposium on Baseball and American Culture, 1999, page 199
- ^ a b Sherrod, Blackie (April 28, 2016). "Best of Blackie: How Lenny Randle's unexpected attack shook the Rangers". dallasnews.com. The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
- The Nevada Daily Mail. MO. Associated Press. June 22, 1977. p. 16. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
- ^ Newberg, Jamie (April 26, 2007). "Swapping Stories: The Lenny Randle Trade of 1977". MLB.com. Major League Baseball. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
- ^ Sullivan, T.R. (June 9, 2019). "Beloved Rangers, Phillies skipper Lucchesi dies". MLB.com. Major League Baseball. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
Further reading
- Reeves, Jim (June 2019). "Frank Lucchesi, baseball man and friend, made for the stage". pressboxdfw.com. Press Box DFW. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- Frank Lucchesi managerial career statistics at Baseball-Reference.com
- Frank Lucchesi at SABR (Baseball BioProject)
- Frank Lucchesi at Baseball Biography