‘Captain Sal’ rock of 1970s ‘Swingin’ A’s’
“He kind of set the bar for how and what we did as far as attitudes of winning and doing stuff on the field.” Vida Blue, former A’s pitcher, on Sal Bando
Sal Bando, the former Oakland Athletics third baseman and captain of three World Series championship teams in the 1970s, died Friday after a battle with cancer. He was 78.
Bando was a four-time AllStar during a 16-season MLB playing career with the A’s and the Milwaukee Brewers. He later joined the Brewers’ front office and served as their general manager.
In a statement, Bando’s family said he had battled cancer for more than five years: “Sandy, Sal’s wife of 54 years, and sons, Sal Jr, Sonny and Stef, send their love to family, friends and fans who mourn the loss of a humble and faithful man.”
Nicknamed “Captain Sal,” Bando played 11 seasons with the A’s, debuting at 22 in 1966 and becoming a regular after the club moved in 1968 from Kansas City to Oakland.
In 1969, Bando hit a careerhigh 31 home runs and made his first All-Star team. It marked the first of 10 straight seasons in which he totaled at least 15 homers and 75 RBIs.
“He was a tough guy as far as how he played the game,” said former catcher Gene Tenace, who played eight seasons with the A’s. “People respected him. Players and his teammates respected him. Coaches respected him.
“He had tremendous character. He was a clutch hitter, tremendous clutch hitter, a solid third baseman, solid as a rock on that corner over there.”
The “Swingin’ A’s” won the AL West division five straight seasons from 1971-75 and World Series titles in 1972, ’73 and ’74. On powerhouse teams with some big personalities, Bando was a steady presence who placed in the top four in AL Most Valuable Player voting three times (1971, ’73 and ’74).
“You had some superstars on the team — you had Catfish (Hunter), you had Reggie (Jackson), who got all the headlines — but Sal was the team captain,” said former pitcher Vida Blue.
“He kind of set the bar for how and what we did as far as attitudes of winning and doing stuff on the field.
“He just kind of quietly went about his business and that’s what stood out in my mind; the fact that he got it done without all the cheerleading, without all the rah-rah. He was like a quiet leader and I think those are the best kind of leaders.”
Bando signed with the Brewers after the 1976 season — the franchise’s first-ever free-agent acquisition — and played his final five seasons for Milwaukee. He finished a career .254 hitter with 242 home runs and 1,039 RBIs.
After retiring, Bando served as a special assistant to the Brewers’ general manager and then as their GM from 1991-99. Bob Melvin, who was hired by the Brewers as a scout during that time, later wore the No. 6 as A’s manager in a nod to Bando.
“Watching him play and captain the most successful Oakland A’s teams in history, a fierce competitor and someone you just did not want to go to battle against,” said Melvin, a Bay Area native. “But in his personal life, he couldn’t have been a nicer, more caring man. And the contrast between the two, just very few people have that.”
Melvin also worked as a roving instructor and a special assistant to Bando before joining the Brewers’ coaching staff, under thenmanager Phil Garner, and cited Bando and Garner as “the most influential people in my career.”
The A’s, who inducted Bando into the team Hall of Fame last year, said in a statement they were “heartbroken. … Our deepest condolences are with his family, friends and fans.” Bando, who helped lead Arizona State to victory in the 1965 College World Series, is also in the National College Baseball Hall of Fame.
“He was the rock of our club,” former A’s outfielder Joe Rudi, another member of the team’s 2022 Hall of Fame class, said about Bando at an induction ceremony last August. “He was the team captain, and nobody would ever screw with that guy.”