| Ken Macha | |
|---|---|
 Macha (center) with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2009 | |
| Third baseman /Manager | |
| Born: (1950-09-29)September 29, 1950 (age 75) Monroeville, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| Professional debut | |
| MLB: April 12, 1974, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| NPB: April 4, 1982, for the Chunichi Dragons | |
| Last appearance | |
| MLB: September 30, 1981, for the Toronto Blue Jays | |
| NPB: September 19, 1985, for the Chunichi Dragons | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .258 |
| Home runs | 1 |
| Runs batted in | 35 |
| Managerial record | 525–447 |
| Winning % | .540 |
| NPB statistics | |
| Batting average | .304 |
| Home runs | 82 |
| Runs batted in | 268 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Managerial record at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
As player
As manager As coach | |
Kenneth Edward Macha (/ˈmɑːkə/MAH-kə;[1] born September 29, 1950) is an American formerMajor League Baseball (MLB)third baseman andmanager. He managed theOakland Athletics from 2003 to 2006, includingAmerican League Western Division championships in both his first and final seasons with the team, and later managed theMilwaukee Brewers (2009–10).
Previously, Macha played for thePittsburgh Pirates,Montreal Expos andToronto Blue Jays in a span of six seasons from 1974 to 1981. Macha also worked forRoot Sports Pittsburgh (now Sportsnet Pittsburgh) as a Pirates postgame analyst in the mid-2010's.
Macha is a graduate ofGateway High School inMonroeville, a suburb ofPittsburgh, and played college ball at theUniversity of Pittsburgh. He was selected by Pittsburgh in the sixth round of the 1972 June draft. He was theEastern League batting champion in 1974 with theThetford Mines Pirates.
Macha made his major league debut on September 14, 1974, going 1-for-1 in a 17-2 Pirates loss to the Expos atJarry Park. He is one of only a handful of players to play for both theMontreal Expos andToronto Blue Jays, Canada's two major league franchises. His last major league appearance was on September 30, 1981, in a 3-0 Blue Jays loss to theOakland Athletics. Macha hit a combined .258 in 180Major League Baseball games.
Following his major league career, Macha spent four years playing inJapan with theChunichi Dragons, from 1982 until 1985.
Macha retired as a player in 1985 and joined the Expos as a major leaguecoach in 1986. He spent six seasons at Montreal before moving to coaching for theCalifornia Angels at bullpen and third base. He then joined theBoston Red Sox organization in fall 1994.
The 1997 season marked Macha's first as manager of the Triple-APawtucket Red Sox. In the previous two seasons he managed the Double-ATrenton Thunder to first-place finishes, including a league-best 86–56 record and another division crown in 1996. He was chosen to manage theAmerican League affiliates in theDouble-A All-Star Game.
Macha then joined theOakland Athletics as bench coach, serving under former Pirates teammateArt Howe from 1999 through 2002. In March 2002, the A's denied permission for the Red Sox to contact Macha about their managerial vacancy. Boston then hiredGrady Little, while Macha spent a final season as a coach until he was tapped to succeed Howe, who became manager of theNew York Mets after the season ended.
Macha's pact with Oakland expired on October 8, 2005, and negotiations broke down between the two sides trying to reach a deal and Macha was out of a job. Six days later, after coming close to a deal with thePittsburgh Pirates, Macha reached a deal with the Athletics and became their manager once again. He led them to a division title and a sweep over theMinnesota Twins in the ALDS to advance to theAmerican League Championship Series, which was the team's first playoff series victory since 1990. However, the Athletics were swept by theDetroit Tigers. On October 16, 2006, he was fired by general managerBilly Beane, on the same dayESPN reported Macha had a tenuous relationship with the players, particularly with injured players (he referred to two placed on the disabled list as "non-entities").[2] The Oakland Athletics would not win another playoff series until 2020.
After he was dismissed from his managerial position in Oakland, theSeattle Mariners offered Macha a position as bench coach to managerMike Hargrove, but Macha refused, citing his desire to take a year off. He was then offered a position as a senior adviser to Mariners GM Bill Bavasi.[3] However, in April 2007, Macha accepted a part-time position as a pre- and post-game analyst forNew England Sports Network, which telecasts Boston Red Sox games.
On October 30, 2008, theMilwaukee Brewers announced Macha as the Brewers' new manager. Macha's Brewers finished below .500 in both 2009 and 2010. On October 3, 2010, it was confirmed that Macha would not return for the 2011 season.[4]
Since 2011 Macha has been volunteering with the baseball program atWestmoreland County Community College in Youngwood, Pennsylvania.[5]
Macha is a first cousin toHal Newhouser.[6] In the offseason, he lived inMurrysville, Pennsylvania, with his family.
As of 2020, Macha is retired and residing inLatrobe, Pennsylvania, near his hometown of Monroeville.
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| OAK | 2003 | 162 | 96 | 66 | .593 | 1st in AL West | 2 | 3 | .400 | LostALDS (BOS) |
| OAK | 2004 | 162 | 91 | 71 | .562 | 2nd in AL West | – | – | – | |
| OAK | 2005 | 162 | 88 | 74 | .543 | 2nd in AL West | – | – | – | |
| OAK | 2006 | 162 | 93 | 69 | .574 | 1st in AL West | 3 | 4 | .429 | LostALCS (DET) |
| OAK total | 648 | 368 | 280 | .568 | 5 | 7 | .417 | |||
| MIL | 2009 | 162 | 80 | 82 | .494 | 3rd in NL Central | – | – | – | |
| MIL | 2010 | 162 | 77 | 85 | .475 | 3rd in NL Central | – | – | – | |
| MIL total | 324 | 157 | 167 | .485 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
| Total[7] | 972 | 525 | 447 | .540 | 5 | 7 | .417 | |||
· Baseball Reference · Fangraphs · Baseball Reference (Minors) · Retrosheet · Baseball Almanac| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Trenton Thunder manager 1995–1996 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Pawtucket Red Sox manager 1997–1998 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Oakland Athletics bench coach 1999–2003 | Succeeded by |
