Hall of Fame Cardinals Manager Whitey Herzog Dies at 92

As a boy, Whitey sometimes skipped school to visit Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis and watch the Yankees play the St. Louis Browns (the team later became the Baltimore Orioles).

Herzog was signed by the Yankees out of high school, but they dropped him after a long apprenticeship in the minors and traded him to the Washington Senators in 1956. He also played for the Kansas City Athletics, the Orioles and the Detroit Tigers. He appeared in 634 major league games with a career batting average of .257.

After two seasons with the Athletics, as a scout and then as a manager, Herzog joined the Mets as third base coach in 1966, scouted for them in 1967, then spent five years overseeing their farm system.

Herzog was named manager of the Texas Rangers in 1973, taking over a young baseball club, but was fired in early September with the team in last place in the American League West. He became manager of the California Angels in 1974, playing four games as interim manager during a managerial change.