| Lee Mazzilli | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Center fielder /First baseman | |
| Born: (1955-03-25)March 25, 1955 (age 70) Brooklyn, New York, U.S. | |
Batted: Switch Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 7, 1976, for the New York Mets | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 29, 1989, for the Toronto Blue Jays | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .259 |
| Home runs | 93 |
| Runs batted in | 460 |
| Managerial record | 129–140 |
| Winning % | .480 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Managerial record at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
As player
As manager As coach | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Lee Louis Mazzilli (born March 25, 1955) is an American former professionalbaseball player,coach, andmanager. He played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) as anoutfielder for theNew York Mets,Texas Rangers,New York Yankees,Pittsburgh Pirates, andToronto Blue Jays from 1976 through 1989. He was anMLB All-Star in 1979. Mazzilli also managed theBaltimore Orioles from 2004 through 2005 and coached the Yankees from 2000 through 2003 and in 2006.
An excellent athlete, Mazzilli was the son of welterweight boxer Libero Mazzilli and his wife, June. Unlike most switch hitters, who naturally bat from one side of the plate and train themselves to feel comfortable on the other, Mazzilli was naturallyambidextrous, and swung the bat both ways from an early age. The sport he most excelled in as a junior wasspeed skating, in which he won eight national championships.[1] He graduated from Brooklyn'sLincoln High School in 1973, and was the first round selection (14th pick overall) of the hometownNew York Mets in the1973 Major League Baseball draft.[2]
Mazzilli was quite popular in New York City, thanks not only to his talent, but his Brooklyn roots andmatinée idol looks.[3] While in theminor leagues, Mazzilli set aCalifornia League record (and what is believed to be a professional record) when he stole seven bases in a game for the Mets' minor league affiliateVisalia againstSan Jose on June 8, 1975.[4]
In 1979, Mazzilli had his best statistical season, and led the Mets with 4.7 fWAR, 137 WRC+, 181hits and 79runs batted in, 93 walks against only 74 strikeouts,[5] and was one of their two representatives at theAll-Star Game inSeattle (the other being catcherJohn Stearns). Mazzilli hit a game-tying solohome run in the eighth inning of thatAll-Star Game, and drew a bases-loaded walk in the ninth inning to bring in the winning run of theNational League's 7–6 victory. The following year, he had his second best statistical season, leading the Mets with 162 hits, 31doubles, 16 home runs, 76 RBIs, 82runs, and 41stolen bases.[6] He also accumulated 3.3 fWAR that season, alongside 127 WRC+. He was the only Met to have 2 RBI's in an All Star Game until 2019 whenPete Alonso[7] did so.
After a1981 season in which he hit only .228 and was hampered by injuries to his back and elbow, Mazzilli was traded from the Mets to theTexas Rangers forRon Darling andWalt Terrell on April 1, 1982. He had lost theright fielder competition toEllis Valentine andJoel Youngblood. He batted .269 with 61 home runs in his five years with the Mets.[8] Mazzilli played only 58 games with Texas and was traded to theNew York Yankees forBucky Dent midway through the 1982 season. Prior to the 1983 season, Mazzilli was traded to thePittsburgh Pirates forTim Burke, Don Aubin, John Holland, and Jose Rivera.
The Mets were early favorites to reach the post-season in 1986, and prior to the start of the season offered third basemanRay Knight to the Pirates for Mazzilli. The Pirates turned them down.[citation needed] The Pirates released him in July 1986, and he re-signed with the Mets on August 3.[citation needed]
Upon signing with the Mets, Mazzilli was assigned to their triple-A affiliate, theTidewater Tides. This was his first tour of duty with the Tides as he had made the jump to the major leagues from double-A. On August 7, the Mets releasedleft fielderGeorge Foster and called Mazzilli up to the majors. Foster was very critical of this move by the Mets, and accused his former employers of racism.[9]
Mazzilli turned out to be an important part of their championship team. His career with the Mets continued until 1989 when he was claimed by theToronto Blue Jays on waivers. Mazzilli retired after the 1989 season, his 14th in the major leagues.
His final major league at bat came on September 29, 1989 when the Toronto Blue Jays were hosting theBaltimore Orioles. There was a great deal of attention paid to the game, as it was the middle game of a three-game series that would decide the winner of theAmerican League East. The Baltimore Orioles had beaten even the most optimistic expectations and were in first place for much of the 1989 season. Baltimore needed to win three games against Toronto to enter post-season play. Baltimore had lost the first game. In Mazzilli's final at bat, during the second game, he singled tocenter field.
In 14 major league seasons covering 1475 games, Mazzilli batted .259 (1068-for-4124) with 93 home runs and 460 RBI.
Mazzilli and Pirates teammatesDale Berra,Lee Lacy,John Milner andDave Parker, along with several other notable major league players, were called before a Pittsburgh grand jury for their involvement in the Pittsburghcocaine distribution trial of Curtis Strong. Their testimony led to the drug trials, which made national headlines in September 1985. He and the other players brought before the Pittsburgh Grand Jury were granted immunity from prosecution in exchange for testimony.
At the end of his career, Mazzilli took up acting, starring as Tony in anoff-Broadway production ofTony n' Tina's Wedding.[10]
Mazzilli wasmanager of theNorwich Navigators for the 1999 season, the Double-A affiliate for the New York Yankess in Norwich, CT. They finished second in the Northern Division with a record of 78 wins and 64 losses under Mazzilli. Mazzilli was nextmanager of theBaltimore Orioles from 2004 until August 4, 2005. The 2005 team compiled a surprising record of 42 wins and 30 losses while spending 62 days in first place in AL East. Its subsequent losing streak led to Mazzilli's firing. He was first base coach to theNew York Yankees from 2000 to 2003 and bench coach in 2006.[11]
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| BAL | 2004 | 162 | 78 | 84 | .481 | 3rd in AL East | – | – | – | – |
| BAL | 2005 | 107 | 51 | 56 | .477 | fired | – | – | – | – |
| Total | 269 | 129 | 140 | .480 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
On December 11, 2006, he was hired as a studio analyst forSportsnet New York. He was replaced byBob Ojeda prior to the 2009 season.
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Mazzilli's brother Fredo introduced him in 1981 to Danielle Folquet, a host of the New York City edition ofPM Magazine. They were married atSt. Patrick's Cathedral on February 4, 1984.[12] The Mazzillis have three children: Jenna, Lacey, andLee Jr. (known as L.J.) L.J. was drafted by the New York Mets in the fourth round of the 2013Major League Baseball draft after playing for theUniversity of Connecticut.[13]
· Baseball Almanac| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Tampa Yankees Manager 1997–1998 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Norwich Navigators Manager 1999 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | New York Yankees First Base Coach 2000–2003 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | New York Yankees Bench Coach 2006 | Succeeded by |
