| Bill Virdon | |
|---|---|
 Virdon with the Pirates in 1965 | |
| Center fielder /Manager | |
| Born:(1931-06-09)June 9, 1931 Hazel Park, Michigan, U.S. | |
| Died: November 23, 2021(2021-11-23) (aged 90) Springfield, Missouri, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 12, 1955, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 26, 1968, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .267 |
| Home runs | 91 |
| Runs batted in | 502 |
| Managerial record | 995–921 |
| Winning % | .519 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Managerial record at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| As player As manager | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
William Charles Virdon (June 9, 1931 – November 23, 2021) was an American professionalbaseballoutfielder,manager, andcoach inMajor League Baseball (MLB). Virdon played in MLB for theSt. Louis Cardinals andPittsburgh Pirates from 1955 through 1965 and in 1968. He served as a coach for the Pirates andHouston Astros, and managed the Pirates, Astros,New York Yankees, andMontreal Expos.
After playing inthe minors for the Yankees organization, Virdon was traded to the Cardinals, and he made his MLB debut in 1955. That year, Virdon won theNational LeagueRookie of the Year Award. He slumped at the beginning of the 1956 season, and was traded to the Pirates, where he spent the remainder of his playing career. A premier defensive outfielder during his playing days as acenter fielder for the Cardinals and Pirates, Virdon led a strong defensive team to the1960 World Series championship. In 1962, Virdon won aGold Glove Award. Following the 1965 season, he retired due to his desire to become a manager.
Virdon managed in theminor leagues until returning to the Pirates as a coach in 1968. He served as manager of the Pirates in 1972 and 1973, before becoming the manager of the Yankees in 1974. During the 1975 season, the Yankees fired Virdon, and he was hired by the Astros. After being fired by the Astros after the 1982 season, Virdon managed the Expos in 1983 and 1984. Virdon wonThe Sporting News'Manager of the Year Award in 1974, his only full season working for the Yankees, and in 1980, while managing the Astros. He returned to the Pirates as a coach following his managerial career, and remained with the Pirates as a guest instructor duringspring training.
William Charles Virdon was born inHazel Park, Michigan, on June 9, 1931. His parents, Bertha and Charles Virdon, were originally fromMissouri, but moved to Hazel Park during theGreat Depression, where they were able to find jobs in automotive factories. When he was 12 years old, his family moved toWest Plains, Missouri.[1]
Virdon attendedWest Plains High School. He competed inAmerican football,basketball, andtrack and field for the school. As West Plains did not compete inbaseball, Virdon traveled toClay Center, Kansas, to play for theirAmerican Amateur Baseball Congress team as acenter fielder andshortstop.[1][2] He enrolled atDrury University inSpringfield, Missouri.[1]
Virdon attended an open tryout held by theNew York Yankees inBranson, Missouri, andscoutTom Greenwade signed Virdon to the Yankees for a $1,800signing bonus ($23,524 in current dollar terms). Virdon made his professional debut in 1950 with theIndependence Yankees in theClass DKansas–Oklahoma–Missouri League, and was promoted to theKansas City Blues in theClass AAAAmerican Association for the final 14 games of the season.[1] Virdon played for theNorfolk Tars in theClass BPiedmont League in 1951, and for theBinghamton Triplets in theClass AEastern League in 1952. The Yankees assigned him to Kansas City in 1953, but he struggled,batting .233.[1] While he played in Kansas City, Virdon was diagnosed withastigmatism.[3] When Kansas City managerHarry Craft noticed Virdon reading while wearingglasses, Craft told him to wear them while he played.[4]
The Yankees demoted Virdon to theBirmingham Barons in theClass AASouthern Association. In 42 games for Birmingham, Virdon had a .317 batting average.[1][5] According toHal Smith, his roommate with Birmingham, Virdon changed his approach to hitting, prioritizingline drives to all parts of the field, rather than trying to hit forpower.[1]
Virdon remained stuck behindMickey Mantle on the Yankees' depth chart forcenter field, whileGene Woodling andHank Bauer played thecorner outfield positions. The Yankees traded Virdon to theSt. Louis Cardinals before the 1954 season withMel Wright and Emil Tellinger for veteran outfielder andAll-StarEnos Slaughter. Virdon struggled during spring training, and Cardinals managerEddie Stanky worked with Virdon to improve his hitting.[5] The Cardinals assigned Virdon to theRochester Red Wings of the Class AAAInternational League for the season. He led the league with a .333 batting average and hit 22 home runs, finishing second in voting for theInternational League Most Valuable Player Award to catcherElston Howard with theToronto Maple Leafs Baseball Club.[1]
Virdon joined the Cardinals in 1955, as the Cardinals movedStan Musial tofirst base to allow Virdon to play the outfield.[1] As arookie, Virdon had a .281 average with 17 home runs and 69runs batted in (RBIs).[6] He was named the winner of theNational League (NL)Rookie of the Year Award, voted on by theBaseball Writers' Association of America, beatingJack Meyer of thePhiladelphia Phillies.[1][5]
After the 1955 season, the Cardinals hiredFrank Lane, nicknamed "The Trader", as theirgeneral manager. Virdon slumped to begin the 1956 season, and the Cardinals traded him to thePittsburgh Pirates in May 1956 forBobby Del Greco andDick Littlefield.[1] Lane claimed that Virdon's late season slump in 1955 was because he tired down the stretch, and that is why he chose to trade him.[7] Lane later referred to the trade as "the worst trade [he] ever made".[8]
When he arrived at Pittsburgh, he developed an eye condition, for which he received treatment, missing one week of the season.[7] Virdon's vision improved, and he challengedHank Aaron for theNL batting title. Virdon batted .334 for the Pirates during remainder of the season, which increased his season batting average to .319, second-best in the NL to Aaron, who batted .328.[1][9] Pirates' announcerBob Prince gave Virdon the nickname "Quail" due to the frequency of his soft-hitinfield hits.[1]
The Pirates hiredDanny Murtaugh as their manager during the 1957 season; Virdon credited Murtaugh with pushing him to perform at his best. Virdon consistently batted in the .260s for the next several seasons.[1] He led all NL center fielders inassists in 1959 with 16, and indouble plays turned with five.[10] In 1960, Virdon, along withright fielderRoberto Clemente,shortstopDick Groat,second basemanBill Mazeroski, andthird basemanDon Hoak, formed a strong defensive unit for the Pirates,[11] and they reached the1960 World Series, where they faced theNew York Yankees. Virdon batted .241 during the seven-game series. In the deciding Game 7, he hit aground ball that struck Yankees shortstopTony Kubek in the throat after taking an unpredictable bounce, enabling Virdon to reach base safely. This started a rally for the Pirates that culminated inBill Mazeroski's home run that won the series for Pittsburgh.[1][12][13]
Virdon led the NL intriples with 10 during the 1962 season.[14] That year, he won theRawlings Gold Glove Award.[1] He struggled in the 1964 season, batting only .243.[15] Though his batting average improved to .279 in the 1965 season, Virdon retired after the season due to his desire to become amanager.[16] Virdon retired with 1,596 MLB hits[17] and a careerbatting average of .267 with 91home runs during his 1,583-game NL career.
Virdon hit an impressive .404 againstSandy Koufax, the highest average of any batter facing the legendaryHall of Fame pitcher.[18]
_-_Houston_Astros_-_1976.jpg)
Virdon began operating a baseball academy in 1956.[19] After the 1962 season, Virdoncoached in theArizona Instructional League. He coached in theFlorida Instructional League following the 1964 season. Following his retirement as a player after the 1965 season, Virdon spent the next two seasons as a manager in the minor leagues for theNew York Mets' organization.[1] In 1966, he managed theWilliamsport Mets of the Eastern League,[20] and in 1967, he managed theJacksonville Suns of the International League.[21] He led Williamsport to a 68–72 win–loss record, and Jacksonville to a 66–73 record.[22]
Virdon joined the Pirates' major league coaching staff under managerLarry Shepard in 1968. He also appeared in six games as a player because a number of Pirates players had entered military service.[1] Shepard left the Pirates after the 1969 season, and Virdon interviewed to become the Pirates' next manager.[22] However, the Pirates re-hired Murtaugh, and Virdon remained on Murtaugh's coaching staff.[1] Virdon coached for the Pirates as they won the1971 World Series.[23] Due to health problems, Murtaugh retired after the 1971 season,[24] and Virdon was named as his successor.[1]
As a manager, Virdon led the Pirates to the 1972NL East division title, but the Pirates lost the1972 National League Championship Series (NLCS) to theCincinnati Reds when Pittsburgh pitcherBob Moose unleashed a wild pitch in the final inning of Game 5, allowing the winning run to score.[17] The 1973 Pirates now played without Clemente, who died during the previous offseason. Further struggles included pitcherSteve Blass' inability to throwstrikes and injuries toDock Ellis.[24] Virdon clashed with Ellis andRichie Hebner.[25] The Pirates were in third place with a 67–69 record when the team fired Virdon and replaced him with Murtaugh.[1][26]
The Yankees announced the hiring ofDick Williams as their manager for the 1974 season, butAmerican LeaguepresidentJoe Cronin nullified the transaction because Williams was still under contract with theOakland Athletics. The Athletics demandedprospectsOtto Vélez andScott McGregor as compensation for Williams, but the Yankees decided the price was too steep.[27] Without a manager, the Yankees hired Virdon, signing him to a one-year contract.[28] Virdon led the Yankees to a competitive finish, one game behind theBaltimore Orioles in theAmerican League East division. He wonThe Sporting News'Manager of the Year Award.[1] The Yankees signed him to a two-year contract after the 1974 season, with a raise from $50,000 to $65,000 per year.[29][30] However, Virdon clashed withBobby Murcer.[1] He received adeath threat due to his preference of playingElliott Maddox over Murcer in center field.[31] The Yankees struggled in 1975. WhenBilly Martin was fired as manager of theTexas Rangers during the 1975 season, the Yankees fired Virdon on August 2 and hired Martin.[32] WithYankee Stadium being renovated in the two years he was at the helm (the club played atShea Stadium instead), Virdon became the only Yankees manager (post-1923) to never manage a game at the Yankees’ venerable ballpark.
TheHouston Astros hired Virdon as their manager on August 20, 1975, succeedingPreston Gómez.Tal Smith, who had served as executive vice president for the Yankees, had become the Astros'general manager on August 7.[32] Virdon led the Astros to third-place finishes in 1976 and 1977, but the Astros slipped to fifth place in 1978. The 1979 Astros fell one game short of winning theNL West division championship. The Astros tied theLos Angeles Dodgers for the division championship in 1980, and defeated them in the1980 NL West tie-breaker game. While the team had success on the field, Virdon clashed with free agent (and future Hall of Famer)Joe Morgan, who bristled at Virdon's preference for taking Morgan out late forRafael Landestoy; Morgan even made a comment to a reporter about not wanting to play 1981 with Virdon as manager, although management tried to walk back the report.[33] The Astros played thePhiladelphia Phillies in the1980 NLCS that went the full five games that saw the final four end in extra innings while Houston blew an eighth inning lead in both Game 4 and Game 5, each held at home. He again won the Manager of the Year Award in 1980.[34] Due to the1981 Major League Baseball strike, the 1981 season was split into halves with each half's winner appearing in the1981 NL Division Series. The Dodgers won the first half, while the Astros won the second. In the Division Series, the Astros won the first two games at home, each in extra innings. They then went to Los Angeles needing one more win. However, the Astros scored two runs combined in the next three games to lose the series. During the 1982 season, the Astros fell to fifth place with a disastrous 9-14 first month that had them go below .500 by the fifth game and never recover. Beset by injuries to relieversJoe Sambito andDave Smith that each saw them miss significant time, the Astros lost over a dozen games in late innings.[35] On August 11, Virdon was fired during the season and replaced byBob Lillis.[36][37][38]
TheMontreal Expos hired Virdon as their manager before the 1983 season, replacingJim Fanning, and signed him to a two-year contract.[39] During the 1984 season, Virdon expressed to Expos general managerJohn McHale that he did not want to return to the Expos in 1985.[40] With a 64–67 record in August 1984, the Expos fired Virdon, replacing him with Fanning.[41]Gary Lucas, a pitcher for the Expos, felt that they had lost many one-run games because Virdon was too conservative in his managing, not employing thehit and run play and relying on the starting pitcher for too long into the game.[40]
Virdon returned to the Pirates as the hitting coach underJim Leyland in 1986, Leyland's first season as a manager. He took the position only when he was convinced that he would not succeed Leyland should the Pirates fire him.[42] Following a contract dispute, the Pirates replaced Virdon withMilt May before the 1987 season.[43] Virdon remained with the Pirates as a minor league hitting instructor from 1987 through 1989. He worked as a spring training instructor for the Cardinals in 1990 and 1991, and then rejoined Leyland's coaching staff in Pittsburgh in 1992.[44]
With Major League Baseballexpanding by two teams for the 1993 season, in 1992 Virdon interviewed for the managerial positions of both expansion teams, theFlorida Marlins and theColorado Rockies.[45][46] The Marlins instead hiredRene Lachemann, and the Rockies hiredDon Baylor.[47][48] In 1994, Virdon interviewed with the Orioles for their vacant managerial position.[49] Virdon left the Pirates after the 1995 season.[44] He became the bench coach for the Astros under first-time managerLarry Dierker in 1997.[44] The Pirates brought Virdon back as their bench coach for the 2001 season under first-time managerLloyd McClendon.[44][50] He retired from coaching after the 2002 season.[17]
Virdon's career managerial record, over all or parts of 13 seasons, was 995–921 (.519). He also managed in the minor leagues for the Cardinals and the Astros.[1] In June 2012, the Pirates attempted to add Virdon and Mazeroski to their coaching staff,[51] but were rebuffed by MLB for violating the rules on uniformed coaching staffs after one game.[52] Virdon continued to serve as a special outfield instructor for the Pirates during spring training.[53]
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| PIT | 1972 | 155 | 96 | 59 | .619 | 1st in NL East | 2 | 3 | .400 | LostNLCS (CIN) |
| PIT | 1973 | 136 | 67 | 69 | .493 | fired | – | – | – | – |
| PIT total | 291 | 163 | 128 | .560 | 2 | 3 | .400 | |||
| NYY | 1974 | 162 | 89 | 73 | .549 | 2nd in AL East | – | – | – | – |
| NYY | 1975 | 104 | 53 | 51 | .510 | fired | – | – | – | – |
| NYY total | 266 | 142 | 124 | .534 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
| HOU | 1975 | 34 | 17 | 17 | .500 | 6th in NL West | – | – | – | – |
| HOU | 1976 | 162 | 80 | 82 | .494 | 3rd in NL West | – | – | – | – |
| HOU | 1977 | 162 | 81 | 81 | .500 | 3rd in NL West | – | – | – | – |
| HOU | 1978 | 162 | 74 | 88 | .457 | 5th in NL West | – | – | – | – |
| HOU | 1979 | 162 | 89 | 73 | .549 | 2nd in NL West | – | – | – | – |
| HOU | 1980 | 163 | 93 | 70 | .571 | 1st in NL West | 2 | 3 | .400 | LostNLCS (PHI) |
| HOU | 1981 | 57 | 28 | 29 | .491 | 3rd in NL West | 2 | 3 | .400 | LostNLDS (LAD) |
| 53 | 33 | 20 | .623 | 1st in NL West | ||||||
| HOU | 1982 | 111 | 49 | 62 | .441 | fired | – | – | – | – |
| HOU total | 1066 | 544 | 522 | .510 | 4 | 6 | .400 | |||
| MON | 1983 | 162 | 82 | 80 | .506 | 3rd in NL East | – | – | – | – |
| MON | 1984 | 131 | 64 | 67 | .489 | fired | – | – | – | – |
| MON total | 293 | 146 | 147 | .498 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
| Total | 1916 | 995 | 921 | .519 | 6 | 9 | .400 | |||
| Source:[54] | ||||||||||
Virdon and his wife, Shirley, married in November 1951,[55] and lived inSpringfield, Missouri. They had three daughters.[56] Together, Bill and Shirley Virdon endowed two scholarships atSoutheast Missouri State University, Shirley'salma mater, with one specifically devoted to a baseball player.[55]
A portion of theU.S. Route 63 business route in West Plains from Grace Avenue to US 63 is named "Bill Virdon Boulevard". Virdon was inducted into theMissouri Sports Hall of Fame in 1983, and named a Missouri Sports Legend by the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2012.[57] TheIndependence Baseball Hall of Fame inducted Virdon in 2013.[2] FollowingWhitey Herzog's election to theNational Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010, Herzog indicated that he would champion Virdon's cause to theVeterans Committee in future elections.[58]
Virdon died on November 23, 2021, at the age of 90.[59]
