Herzog, Hall of Fame manager, dies at 92
Whitey Herzog, the gruff and ingenious Hall of Fame manager who guided the St. Louis Cardinals to three pennants and a World Series title in the 1980s and perfected an intricate, nailbiting strategy known as “Whiteyball,” has died. He was 92.
Cardinals spokesman Brian Bartow said Tuesday the team had been informed of Herzog's death by his family. Herzog, who had been at Busch Stadium on April 4 for the Cardinals' home opener, died on Monday, according to Bartow.
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. A typical Cardinals victory under Herzog was a low-scoring, one-run game, sealed in the final innings by a “bullpen by committee.”
The Cardinals had power hitters in George Hendrick and Jack Clark, but they mostly relied on the speed and resourcefulness of switch-hitters Vince Coleman and Willie McGee, the acrobatic fielding of shortstop, and future Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith and the effective pitching of starters such as John Tudor and Danny Cox and relievers Todd Worrell, Ken Dayley and Jeff Lahti. For the `82 champions, Herzog didn't bother rotating relievers, but simply brought in future Hall of Famer Bruce Sutter to finish the job.
Under Herzog, the Cards won pennants in 1982, 1985 and 1987, and the World Series in 1982, when they edged Milwaukee in seven games. 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.
Overall, Herzog was a manager for 18 seasons, compiling a record of 1,281 wins and 1,125 losses. He was named Manager of the Year in 1985 and voted into the Hall by the Veterans Committee in 2010.
FORMER BROOKLYN DODGER ERSKINE DIES >> Carl Erskine, who pitched two no-hitters as a mainstay on the Brooklyn Dodgers and was a 20game winner in 1953 when he struck out a thenrecord 14 in the World Series, died. He was 97.
Erksine died in his hometown of Anderson, Indiana, according to Michele Hockwalt, the hospital's marketing and communication manager.
Among the last survivors from the celebrated Brooklyn teams of the 1950s, Erskine spent his entire major league career with the Dodgers from 1948-59, helping them win five National League pennants. The right-hander had a career record of 122-78 and an ERA of 4.00, with 981 strikeouts.
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