Lloyd McClendon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lloyd McClendon |
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McClendon with the Seattle Mariners
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| Outfielder / Manager | |||
| Born: January 11, 1959 Gary, Indiana, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| April 6, 1987, for the Cincinnati Reds | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| August 11, 1994, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .244 | ||
| Home runs | 35 | ||
| Runs batted in | 154 | ||
| Managerial record | 501–613 | ||
| Winning % | .450 | ||
| Teams | |||
As player
As manager
As coach
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Lloyd Glenn McClendon (born January 11, 1959) is an American who used to play, coach, and manage professional baseball. He played as an outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1987 to 1994. He played for the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs, and Pittsburgh Pirates.
After his playing days, McClendon became a manager. He led the Pittsburgh Pirates from 2001 to 2005 and the Seattle Mariners from 2014 to 2015. He also served as an interim manager for the Detroit Tigers in 2020.
Lloyd McClendon's Baseball Journey
Early Playing Days
"Legendary Lloyd" in Little League
In 1971, Lloyd McClendon played in the Little League World Series for his team from Gary, Indiana. He earned the nickname "Legendary Lloyd" because he hit a home run in five straight turns at bat. In fact, those were his only official at-bats! In all his other chances to bat, the other team's coaches intentionally walked him, meaning they chose to let him go to first base without pitching to him. McClendon's 1971 team was the first all-African American team to reach the final stage of the Little League World Series. He went to Roosevelt High School in Gary and finished in 1977.
College Baseball
McClendon played college baseball at Valparaiso University, which is close to Gary. While there, he had a batting average of .330. He also hit 18 home runs and brought in 73 runs batted in. He was recognized as an all-conference player twice, in 1979 and 1980.
Professional Playing Career
Starting with the Mets
The New York Mets drafted McClendon in 1980 as a catcher. He began his professional baseball career with the Kingsport Mets. While playing for the Lynchburg Mets, he shared a room with future star Darryl Strawberry. Their manager, Gary Dusan, hoped McClendon's positive attitude would help Strawberry. Strawberry later said that McClendon helped him a lot during a tough season. After the 1982 season, McClendon was traded to the Cincinnati Reds.
Time with the Cincinnati Reds
In 1983, McClendon started playing other positions besides catcher, like third base and first base. He became a utility player, meaning he could play many different positions. He finally made it to the major leagues with the Reds in 1987. He played in 45 games, mostly as a pinch hitter, but also played five different positions. In 1988, he played more games, appearing in 72. After that season, he was traded to the Chicago Cubs.
Playing for the Chicago Cubs
McClendon played the most games of his major league career with the Cubs in 1989. He mostly played left field and first base. He hit .286, which was his best batting average. He also hit 12 home runs and had 40 runs batted in, both career highs. He even stole 6 bases. However, in 1990, he struggled and was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Years with the Pittsburgh Pirates
McClendon played for the Pirates from late 1990 until the end of the 1994 season. He spent most of his time in the outfield. In the 1992 postseason, he had an amazing batting average of .727 in the 1992 National League Championship Series. He got eight hits in eleven turns at bat, which is the highest batting average ever in one postseason. His playing career ended when the 1994 season was cut short by a players' strike.
Brief Stop with the Cleveland Indians
In 1995, McClendon signed a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians. He played 37 games for their minor league team, the Buffalo Bisons. He never made it to the major leagues with the Indians and retired after that season.
Coaching and Managing Baseball
Pittsburgh Pirates Manager
After he stopped playing, McClendon became a hitting coach for the Pirates. In 2000, he was named the team's manager. He was the first African American manager for any of Pittsburgh's major sports teams. McClendon managed the Pirates until September 2005. During his five seasons, his team had a record of 336 wins and 446 losses.
Coaching with the Detroit Tigers
When Jim Leyland became the manager of the Detroit Tigers, he brought McClendon on as a bullpen coach. In 2007, McClendon became the Tigers' hitting coach. He helped many players improve their hitting. A Detroit player won the American League batting title in four of the seven seasons McClendon was the hitting coach.
Managing the Seattle Mariners
On November 7, 2013, Lloyd McClendon was officially announced as the new manager for the Seattle Mariners. In his first year, the Mariners improved their record, finishing with 87 wins and 75 losses. However, in 2015, the team struggled, and McClendon was fired on October 9, 2015. His record with the Mariners was 163 wins and 161 losses.
Return to the Detroit Tigers
After managing the Mariners, McClendon became the manager for the Toledo Mud Hens, a minor league team for the Tigers. In October 2016, he returned to the Detroit Tigers as their hitting coach. In September 2019, he became the Tigers' bench coach. Then, in September 2020, he was named interim manager for the Tigers after Ron Gardenhire retired. After the 2020 season, the Tigers hired a new manager, and McClendon was not kept on the coaching staff. In January 2022, he returned to manage the Toledo Mud Hens for a second time.
Challenging Umpires
McClendon is known for arguing with umpires about close calls during games. He believed that the Pirates sometimes didn't get fair calls. He once said he would keep demanding a "playing field that's equal for my players."
The First Base Incident
On June 26, 2001, in a game against the Milwaukee Brewers, McClendon was upset about two calls made by the first base umpire. After being kicked out of the game, McClendon famously took first base off the field and threw it into the dugout! The field crew had to replace the base with a new one. The Pirates ended up winning that game. This moment became very famous and was even called an incident of "stealing" first base.
Years later, in 2005, McClendon said he didn't like that moment being shown, saying, "That's not who I am." However, in 2015, he again made headlines for arguing with the entire umpire crew during a Mariners game. He threw his hat and ran around the field to argue with each umpire.
Personal Life
Lloyd McClendon is one of twelve or thirteen children. He met his wife, Ingrid Scott, while they were both students at Valparaiso University. They got married in 1981 and have two children, a daughter named Schenell and a son named Bo. Schenell went to law school and got married in 2014. Bo also went to Valparaiso and played in the minor leagues for two years. McClendon and his wife still live in Indiana.
