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Phil Garner, a former MLB All-Star and World Series champion, has died, his family said Sunday. He was 76.
Garner died Saturday after battling pancreatic cancer for more than two years, his family said.
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Tim Foli and Phil Garner, members of the 1979 World Series Championship Pittsburgh Pirates, participate in a pre-game ceremony honoring the team’s performance before a game against the Philadelphia Phillies in Pittsburgh on July 20, 2019. (Gene J. Puskar/AP)
“Phil never lost his characteristic spark of life,” Ty Garner, Phil’s son, said in a statement. “He was so known for his love of baseball, which was with him until the end.”
The Oakland Athletics selected Garner in the first round of the MLB Draft’s secondary stage in 1971. He was called up more than two years later and made his major league debut in September 1973.
Garner played four seasons with the A’s, earning his first All-Star selection in 1976 before being traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the offseason prior to the 1977 season. He was then traded to the Houston Astros in August 1981.
The versatile infielder earned two more All-Star selections while with the Pirates. He helped the team to a World Series title in 1979 against the Baltimore Orioles. He hit .500 in the seven-game series against Baltimore. He had four doubles and five RBI.
Houston Astros’ Phil Garner scores the winning run as Luis Pujols walks him in the 11th inning of Game 2 of the National League West playoffs against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Houston on October 7, 1981. (F. Carter Smith/AP)
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“Phil Garner was a fierce competitor, a respected leader and a beloved part of the Pirates family,” Pirates chairman Bob Nutting said in a statement. “His contribution to the 1979 World Series championship will forever be a part of Pirates history. We always appreciated welcoming Phil back to Pittsburgh, and it was clear how much this city, this team, his teammates and our fans meant to him.
“He will be remembered not only for the courage, passion and heart he brought to the game, but also for the way he conducted himself as a devoted family man and respected member of the baseball community.”
He played part of the 1987 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers and then played 15 games for the San Francisco Giants before his playing career ended.
Garner was a lifetime .260 hitter with 109 home runs and 738 RBI.
He made his MLB managerial debut with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1992 and managed them until 1999. He then managed the Detroit Tigers from 2000 to 2002.
Pirates shortstop Phil Garner dives for a ball hit by Al Bumbry of the Baltimore Orioles during the fifth inning of Game 3 of the World Series in Pittsburgh on October 12, 1979. (AP photo)
Garner had great success managing the Astros. He was their captain from 2004 to 2007, guiding them to their first World Series appearance in 2005 – only to lose to the Chicago White Sox.
He was 985-1,054 as a leader.
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“He was a highly respected and beloved individual who was known for his caring nature, wisdom and humor,” Brewers added.
