CHICAGO, IL - CIRCA 1987: Phil Garner #20 of the Los Angeles Dodgers bats against the Chicago Cubs during an Major League Baseball game circa 1987 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois. Garner played for the Dodgers in 1987. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
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Long-time fans of the Los Angeles Dodgers took notice when news surfaced on Sunday that Phil Garner, a 16-year MLB veteran, died at age 76 after a longstanding battle with cancer.
Garner earned three All-Star nods in his years with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Houston Astros, but he also played infield for the Dodgers during the 1987 penultimate season of his career. He logged 24 hits in 70 games for the Dodgers before becoming a free agent and joining the San Francisco Giants, then hanging up his spikes.
Garner also enjoyed a three-team run as an MLB manager, starting with the Milwaukee Brewers, before joining the Detroit Tigers then returning to the Astros. After winning an American League pennant as skipper with the Astros, Garner joined the Athletics as a special advisor.
In announcing his death, Garner’s family shared that he had been battling pancreatic cancer for more than two years.
“Phil never lost his signature spark of life he was so well known for or his love for baseball which was with him until the end,” Garner’s family wrote in an announcement, according to MLB.com.
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Garner grew up in Knoxville and attended the University of Tennessee before being drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 1970 draft. He chose to return to school and then was selected as the third overall pick by the Oakland Athletics in 1971.
He was called up by the Athletics in 1973 and became the everyday second baseman before being traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Across five seasons, in 664 games with two All-Star appearances, Garner slashed .267/.335/.404 and helped the Pirates capture the 1979 World Series championship.
In 1981, Garner was traded to the Houston Astros where he played for seven seasons before a short stint with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“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 was finished,” Ryan Gaydos wrote for Fox News.
ForbesMets Skipper Sends 2-Word Francisco Lindor Message As Concerns MountBy Peter ChawagaGarner batted just .190 for the Dodgers while making brief appearances at shortstop and second base before returning to free agency and signing with the Dodgers’ division rival, the San Francisco Giants, and playing just 15 more games in 1988.
Garner quickly rose to a big-league managing job and led the Astros to the 2005 World Series before ending his managerial career in 2007.
"Phil Garner was a fierce competitor, a respected leader, and a cherished part of the Pirates family," Pirates chairman Bob Nutting said in a statement, Gaydos reported. "His contributions to the 1979 World Series championship team will forever be part of Pirates history. We always appreciated welcoming Phil back to Pittsburgh, and it was evident how deeply this city, this team, his teammates and our fans meant to him.”
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