Larry Parrish
| Larry Parrish | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Third baseman / Right fielder / Designated hitter / Manager | |
| Born: November 10, 1953 Winter Haven, Florida, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| Professional debut | |
| MLB: September 6, 1974, for the Montreal Expos | |
| NPB: April 8, 1989, for the Yakult Swallows | |
| Last appearance | |
| MLB: October 2, 1988, for the Boston Red Sox | |
| NPB: August 27, 1990, for the Hanshin Tigers | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .263 |
| Home runs | 256 |
| Runs batted in | 992 |
| Managerial record | 82–104 |
| Winning % | .441 |
| NPB statistics | |
| Batting average | .260 |
| Home runs | 70 |
| Runs batted in | 183 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Managerial record at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
As player
As manager | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Larry Alton Parrish (born November 10, 1953) is an American former professional baseball player, coach and manager. He played in Major League Baseball and the Nippon Professional Baseball league as a third baseman from 1974 to 1990, most prominently as a member of the Montreal Expos and the Texas Rangers.
A two-time
After his playing career, Parrish continued to work in professional baseball as a coach and manager at both the major league and minor league levels. He is the winningest manager in Toledo Mud Hens history, serving as the team's manager for a record eight seasons, highlighted by back-to-back Governors' Cup championships in 2005 and 2006.[1] He was inducted into the International League Hall of Fame in 2013 for his career as the Mud Hens manager.[1]
Playing career
Making his debut in 1974 at the age of 20, Parrish became a solid hitter as a third baseman in the 1970s and 1980s, hitting 20 or more
Parrish was traded along with Dave Hostetler from the Expos to the Texas Rangers for Al Oliver on March 31, 1982. He originally was supposed to have been the Rangers' starting right fielder.[2] In 1982, during his first season with the Rangers, Parrish tied a major league record held by Jim Northrup when he hit three grand slams in the span of one week.[3]
Parrish ranks 15th on the Texas Rangers' all-time home run list with 149 and 14th in RBIs at 522. He closed out his American Major League career by joining the Boston Red Sox during the stretch run of the 1988 season; while he was with the Red Sox, the team won the American League Eastern Division championship.
After his Major League Baseball career ended, Parrish played for two different Japanese major league teams. Parrish had a career .263 batting average in Major League Baseball with 256 home runs and 992 runs batted in. In 13 career playoff games, he batted .182 with no home runs and three RBIs.
Coaching career
After retiring from the majors and spending time playing for the
In 2005, Parrish managed the Mud Hens to an impressive 89–55 record and the
In 2006, Parrish led the Mud Hens to a 76–66 record and a repeat of the Governor's Cup, giving the Mud Hens their third title and making them back-to-back champions for the first time in team history. This time, the Mud Hens defeated the
On October 29, 2010, it was announced that Parrish would become the hitting coach for the Atlanta Braves,[4][5] replacing Terry Pendleton, who was moved to first base coach. After the Braves offense went from first in the National League in On-base percentage in 2010 to 14th in 2011 with roughly the same lineup, Braves general manager Frank Wren announced on September 30, 2011, that Parrish would not return to his duties for the 2012 season.[6]
Parrish was named manager of the West Michigan Whitecaps for the 2013 season.
Parrish was elected to the International League Hall of Fame as a manager in 2013.[7]
On September 18, 2013, it was announced that Parrish would return to the Mud Hens for his third stint as manager. He replaced Phil Nevin, whose contract was not renewed.[8] On August 2, 2015, Parrish announced his plan to retire at the end of the Mud Hens' season.[9][10]
Highlights
- Two-time All-Star (1979, 1987).
- Hit three grand slams in one week (July 4, 7, and 10 in 1982), tying a long-standing MLB record set by Jim Northrup in the Detroit Tigers' World Series Championship season in 1968.
- Compiled four career three-home run games, including one instance in which the home runs came on consecutive at-bats (July 30, 1978) and is one of only eight players to accomplish the feat in both leagues. (The others are Babe Ruth, Johnny Mize, Dave Kingman, Cory Snyder, Darnell Coles, Claudell Washington, and Darryl Strawberry.)
- Four league championships as manager:
- 1993 (Niagara Falls of the New York–Penn League)
- 1996 (Jacksonville Suns of the Southern League)
- 2005 and 2006 (Toledo Mud Hens of the International League)
See also
References
- ^ a b "Parrish named to International League's Hall of Fame". toledoblade.com. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
- ^ Chass, Murray. "Gamble Bars Deal; Expos Get Oliver," The New York Times, Thursday, April 1, 1982, 1982. Retrieved October 31, 2020
- ^ "Grand Slam Records". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
- ^ "Larry Parrish hired as Braves hitting coach!". Minor League Baseball. October 29, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
- ^ "Larry Parrish named hitting coach". ESPN.com. Associated Press. October 29, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
- ^ "Parrish let go as Braves hitting coach". Atlanta Braves. MLB. September 30, 2011. Archived from the original on October 2, 2011.
- ^ "International League Hall of Fame Class of 2013" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
- MLive. Retrieved September 18, 2013.
- ^ Sipple, George (August 22, 2015). "Q&A with Mud Hens retiring manager Larry Parrish". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
- ^ Kaiser, Cameron (September 7, 2015). "In finale, extra-inning win sends Parrish out on top". Toledo Mud Hens. Retrieved September 7, 2015.