Whitey Herzog, Hall of Fame manager who led St. Louis Cardinals to 3 pennants, dead at 92
File: Manager Whitey Herzog of the St. Louis Cardinals during a game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri (Undated photo / Getty Images Sport)
Whitey Herzog, the Hall of Fame manager who led the St. Louis Cardinals to three pennants and a World Series title in the 1980s and perfected a strategy known as "Whiteyball," died Tuesday. He was 92.
Herzog joined the Cardinals in 1980 and helped end the team's decade-plus pennant drought by adapting it to the artificial surface and distant fences of Busch Memorial Stadium.
Under Herzog, the Cards won pennants in 1982, 1985 and 1987, and the World Series in 1982, when they beat the Milwaukee Brewers in seven games.
"The entire Cardinals family is heartbroken to learn of the passing of Hall of Famer and World Series champion manager Whitey Herzog at the age of 92," the St. Louis Cardinals wrote on X, formerly Twitter, Tuesday.
Herzog managed the Kansas City Royals to division titles in 1976-78, but they lost each time in the league championship to the New York Yankees.
According to the Associated Press, Herzog was a manager for 18 seasons and finished with 1,281 wins and 1,125 losses. Herzog was named Manager of the Year in 1985 and voted into the Hall by the Veterans Committee in 2010, with his plaque noting his "stern, yet good-natured style," and his emphasis on speed, pitching and defense. Just before he formally entered the Hall, the Cardinals retired his uniform number, 24.
Herzog was born in New Athens, Illinois, and he excelled at baseball and basketball. He was later signed up by the Yankees, and played center field, but found out that he had competition from another prospect, Mickey Mantle.
He played over eight seasons, batting .257 while playing multiple positions. His best season was with Baltimore in 1961 when he batted .291. Herzog also played for the Washington Senators, Kansas City Athletics and Detroit Tigers, with whom he ended his playing career in 1963, the AP noted.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.