Hall of Famer and longtime St. Louis Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog has passed away at age 92. Herzog was an integral member of the organization from 1980-1990. He led the team to a World Series title in 1982.
Herzog was a popular figure who also managed the Kansas City Royals to success from 1975-1979. He also managed the Texas Rangers and California Angels. He managed legendary players, including George Brett, Keith Hernandez, Ozzie Smith, and Jack Clark.
Whitey Herzog Was the Innovator of “Whitey Ball”
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Perhaps Whitey Herzog will be forever remembered for creating a style of play known as “Whitey Ball”. “Whitey Ball” was an innovative style of play that utilized speed and defense. Small-ball tactics were emphasized over home runs as the Cardinals used the quick Astroturf field surface to their benefit.
Whitey Herzog’s aggressive managing style led to a great deal of success. He led the Cardinals to the World Series in 1982, 1985, and 1987. He also led the Kansas City Royals to 3 straight American League Western division titles from 1976 to 1978.
His all-time record as manager was 1281 wins and 1125 losses. In the postseason, Whitey Herzog had a 26-25 record. He also was known as one of the few managers who got to serve as his own general manager, which he did in St. Louis.
Herzog managed some all-time greats who saw great success. George Brett, Bruce Sutter, and Ozzie Smith are Hall of Famers, Willie McGee was MVP in 1985, and Keith Hernandez won 2 Silver Sluggers. Vince Coleman was also the NL leader in stolen bases, while Whitey Herzog was the St. Louis Cardinals skipper.
What might be forgotten in his legacy is that Herzog also, briefly, for 1 season in 1973, was the 2nd ever manager of the Texas Rangers. He was hired after Ted Williams and was fired for Billy Martin. He also briefly served as manager of the California Angels in 1974, getting to manage Nolan Ryan.
Whitey Herzog Was a Baseball Lifer
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Whitey Herzog wasn’t just a Hall of Fame manager. He also was a player, scout, coach, general manager, and farm system director. He served all these roles in a lifetime of baseball that spanned 45 years.
He started as a player for the New York Yankees but couldn’t make it onto the stacked roster. He made it to the MLB in 1956 with the Washington Senators. He also played for the Kansas City Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, and Detroit Tigers until retiring in 1963.
Whitey Herzog earned his first World Series title as the director of player development for the New York Mets in 1969. This was no small feat, as the team he took development over was the worst in baseball. The Mets had been around for less than a decade when Herzog arrived.
He helped develop a roster that included Jerry Grote, Jon Matlack, Ken Singleton, Hall of Famers Tom Seaver and Nolan Ryan. The Mets went from the worst team in the league to the “Miracle Mets” under his direction.
The Mets also won the National League Pennett with Herzog as director of player development in 1973 but fell to the Oakland Athletics dynasty. He left after that to start his legendary career as a manager.
Whitey Herzog had the life a baseball person could envy. He served in every capacity possible. He had a great deal of success. He will forever be immortalized in the hearts of midwestern baseball fans who saw his Royals and Cardinals teams consistently make the postseason.
He was inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame in 2010 with 87.5% of the vote. He’s a member of the Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fames. The Cardinals also retired the number 24 that he wore as manager.
He was 92 years old.
About the Author
Alex is a writer at Total Apex Sports and Total Apex Gaming. He’s a loyal fan of many teams, including the Las Vegas Raiders and San Francisco Giants. You can find him on X at @alex_furtotti
