Lee MacPhail | |
|---|---|
 MacPhail at theWhite House for a Baseball Hall of Fame luncheon in 2004 | |
| Born | (1917-10-25)October 25, 1917 Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died | November 8, 2012(2012-11-08) (aged 95) Delray Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Swarthmore College (B.A.) |
| Occupation | Baseball executive |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3, includingAndy |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Bill MacPhail (brother) |
Baseball player Baseball career | |
| Member of the National | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 1998 |
| Election method | Veterans Committee |
Leland Stanford MacPhail Jr. (October 25, 1917 – November 8, 2012) was an American front-office executive inMajor League Baseball. MacPhail was a baseball executive for 45 years, serving as the director of player personnel for theNew York Yankees, the president andgeneral manager of theBaltimore Orioles, chief aide toCommissioner of BaseballWilliam Eckert, executive vice president and general manager of the Yankees, and president of theAmerican League.
Born inNashville, Tennessee, he was the son ofLarry MacPhail (Leland S. MacPhail Sr.), front office executive with theCincinnati Reds,Brooklyn Dodgers and the Yankees. Larry and Lee MacPhail are the only father-and-son pair to be inducted into theBaseball Hall of Fame. Lee was honored in 1998.[1]
His brotherBill MacPhail was president ofCBS Sports and later became president of CNN Sports, recruited byTed Turner to create the department when CNN was launched.
Lee MacPhail's sonAndy has been a senior executive with four MLB clubs: general manager of theMinnesota Twins (1986–94), president/CEO of theChicago Cubs (1994–2006), president/baseball operations of the Orioles (2007–11), and president of thePhiladelphia Phillies (2015–20). Son Lee MacPhail III had begun a career in baseball and was an executive with theReading Phillies of theEastern League upon his untimely death at age 27 in an automobile accident on February 18, 1969.[2][3] In addition, grandson Lee MacPhail IV has been active in baseball as a scout or scouting director for numerous teams, including the Orioles, Twins,New York Mets,Seattle Mariners,Cleveland Indians,Washington Nationals andTexas Rangers.[4]
Lee MacPhail graduated fromSwarthmore College and entered baseball in his father's Brooklyn Dodger organization, became business manager of theToronto Maple Leafs of theInternational League in 1942, then served in theUnited States Navy duringWorld War II. He joined the Yankees in1946 as general manager of theirKansas City BluesTriple-Afarm team, a year after Larry MacPhail became a co-owner of the Bombers.[5]
The younger MacPhail rose through the Yankees system, eventually becomingfarm system director in 1948 (after his father sold his one-third share and left baseball) and contributing to the organization's sevenWorld Series championships from 1949 to 1958. He then moved to the Baltimore Orioles front office as general manager and, later, club president.[6] During MacPhail's seven-year stewardship (1959–65), the Orioles became pennant contenders in the American League, winning 612 of 1,118 games (.547) and finishing in the league'sfirst division four times. Led byMost Valuable PlayerBrooks Robinson, the1964 Orioles finished only two games behind the pennant-winning Yankees.
At the time of his departure for the commissioner's office in November 1965, MacPhail and his successor,Harry Dalton, were beginning negotiations with the Reds for a blockbuster trade that would bringFrank Robinson to Baltimore; Robinson would lead the Orioles to the1966world championship and win the American LeagueTriple Crown andMost Valuable Player award.[7]
After a brief term as top aide to the new commissioner, Eckert, in 1965–66,[8] MacPhail served as the Yankees' general manager from October 14, 1966, through the1973 season, a rebuilding phase that saw no pennants or postseason appearances. However, it was marked by the promotion ofBobby Murcer andThurman Munson to the club, and the1972 acquisitions, via trade, ofSparky Lyle andGraig Nettles; Munson, Lyle and Nettles would be major pieces when the Yankees returned to the top of the American League from1976 to1978. Overall, the Yankees compiled a record of 569–557 (.505) during MacPhail's term as GM, with one second-place finish (in1970).
After the1973 season, in late October, MacPhail was elected the fifth American League president,[9] serving from January 1, 1974, to December 31, 1983. In replacingJoe Cronin, he moved the league's headquarters toNew York City fromBoston.
Although no AL franchise moved during MacPhail's term, he was in office for the dawning of thefree agency era in 1976, and nine of the 12 league clubs in existence in 1974 underwent ownership changes. MacPhail also oversaw the league's1977expansion to 14 teams with the creation of theToronto Blue Jays and theSeattle Mariners, and was credited with bringing an end to the1981 baseball strike when he stepped in for the owners to handle stalled negotiations. During his ten full years in office, the American League continued to struggle against theNational League inAll-Star Game competition: it lost the first nine midsummer classics it played under MacPhail's presidency, winning only in his last season,1983, by a 13–3 score.[10] The Junior Circuit compiled a 4–6 mark in World Series play over the same period.
MacPhail also played a major role in thePine Tar Incident in 1983, where he ruled on aprotested game stemming from a home run that had been taken away fromKansas City Royals sluggerGeorge Brett.[11] After his retirement as AL president, MacPhail spent two final years in baseball as chairman of Major League Baseball's Player Relations Committee.
MacPhail lived inDelray Beach, Florida, where he died November 8, 2012, at his home. He was 95. At time of his death he was the oldest livingHall of Famer.[12]
When he was elected to theBaseball Hall of Fame in 1998, he joinedLarry MacPhail, who had been elected in 1978, as its only father and son members.
In 1966, he received theSporting News Executive of the Year Award. MacPhail had spent1966 as assistant to the Commissioner of Baseball prior to taking over the Yankees' general manager post. The award was bestowed for his efforts in building the 1966 World Series champion Orioles.
TheAmerican League Championship Series Most Valuable Player Award is named for Lee MacPhail.[13]
In 2013, theBob Feller Act of Valor Award honored MacPhail as one of 37 Baseball Hall of Fame members for his service in the United States Navy during World War II.[14]
| Preceded by | Baltimore Orioles General Manager 1958–1965 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | New York Yankees General Manager 1966–1974 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
