Frank Lucchesi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Frank Lucchesi |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
Lucchesi as manager of the Rangers, May 1977
|
|||
| Manager | |||
| Born: April 24, 1926 San Francisco, California, US |
|||
| Died: June 8, 2019 (aged 93) Colleyville, Texas, US |
|||
|
|||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Games managed | 715 | ||
| Managerial record | 316–399 | ||
| Winning percentage | .442 | ||
| Teams | |||
|
|||
Frank Joseph Lucchesi (pronounced loo-KAY-see; April 24, 1927 – June 8, 2019) was an American professional baseball player, manager, and coach. He managed three Major League Baseball (MLB) teams during his career. These teams were the Philadelphia Phillies (from 1970 to 1972), the Texas Rangers (from 1975 to 1977), and the Chicago Cubs (for a short time in 1987). Overall, Lucchesi had a career record of 316 wins and 399 losses.
Contents
Frank Lucchesi's Baseball Journey
Playing in the Minor Leagues
Frank Lucchesi was born in San Francisco. He had a long career playing and managing in minor league baseball. As a player from 1945 to 1957, he mostly played in the smaller minor leagues. He hit for a .276 average in 1,149 games and hit 56 home runs. Lucchesi batted and threw with his right hand. He was 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighed 170 pounds.
His managing career began in 1951 as a player-manager, meaning he played and managed at the same time. He joined the Phillies' farm system in 1956. He managed for 14 seasons there, including teams like the Arkansas Travelers and Eugene Emeralds. He won two championships as a manager in the minor leagues. Winning the 1969 Pacific Coast League title with Eugene helped him get promoted to manage the Philadelphia Phillies. Later, in the 1970s and 1980s, Lucchesi also managed teams in the minor league systems of the Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds.
Managing Major League Teams
Lucchesi became the manager of the Philadelphia Phillies at the start of the 1970 season. The team was rebuilding with many young players at that time. His first team in 1970 improved by ten wins compared to the year before. However, the 1971 Phillies finished last in their division. When the team started the 1972 season with only 26 wins and 50 losses, Lucchesi was replaced on July 9 by the team's new general manager, Paul Owens.
After managing a minor league team for the Cleveland Indians in 1973, Lucchesi became the third-base coach for the Texas Rangers in 1974. The next season, on July 21, 1975, Lucchesi took over as manager of the Rangers. He replaced Billy Martin, who had been fired. Lucchesi led the team to a 35-32 record for the rest of the year. He was asked to return as manager for the 1976 season, but the Rangers finished with a 76-86 record.
Lucchesi was invited back to manage the 1977 season. However, a disagreement during spring training with player Lenny Randle caused problems for the team. Lucchesi was trying out a new player, Bump Wills, for Randle's position. Randle was upset about this. Before a game, Randle and Lucchesi had an argument. This led to Randle being suspended for 30 days and traded to the New York Mets.
Lucchesi returned to manage the team after recovering. But on June 21, with the 1977 Rangers having a record of 31 wins and 31 losses, he was replaced as manager. Later, from 1979 to 1980, Lucchesi returned to the Rangers as a third-base coach.
In 1987, Lucchesi became the temporary manager of the Chicago Cubs on September 8. He had been working for the team as a scout, watching games from the press box. The Cubs won 8 games and lost 17 during the last month of the season under Lucchesi. After that, the Cubs hired a new general manager and a new manager. Lucchesi, who was 61 years old, went back to the minor leagues for two more seasons. He managed the Nashville Sounds, which was the top minor league team for the Cincinnati Reds.
Later Life
Frank Lucchesi passed away at his home in Colleyville, Texas, on June 8, 2019. He was 93 years old.
