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| Buck Rodgers | |
|---|---|
 1962 caricature of Rodgers | |
| Catcher /Manager | |
| Born: (1938-08-16)August 16, 1938 (age 87) Delaware, Ohio, U.S. | |
Batted: Switch Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 8, 1961, for the Los Angeles Angels | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 28, 1969, for the California Angels | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .232 |
| Home runs | 31 |
| Runs batted in | 288 |
| Managerial record | 784–774 |
| Winning % | .503 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Managerial record at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| As player As manager As coach | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Robert Leroy "Buck"Rodgers (born August 16, 1938) is an American former professionalbaseball player,coach, andmanager. He played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) as acatcher for theLos Angeles / California Angels for nine seasons during the 1960s. He later managed three major-league teams: theMilwaukee Brewers,Montreal Expos, andCalifornia Angels, compiling a managerial record of 784–774 (.503).
Born inDelaware, Ohio, Rodgers graduated from Prospect High School in 1956 and was a star basketball player as well scoring over 1,700 points in his career and averaging 25 points per game over his Junior and Senior seasons with a high of 55 in 1956. He attendedOhio Wesleyan University andOhio Northern University. He signed his first professional contract with theDetroit Tigers in 1956, spent five years in theirfarm system, and was selected by the Angels in the1960 MLB Expansion Draft.
He was a top defensive catcher and aswitch-hitter who played nine major league seasons (1961–1969), all with the Angels, compiling a .232batting average with 704hits, 114doubles, 18triples and 31home runs in 932games played. As a player, Rodgers caughtBo Belinsky'sno-hitter on May 5, 1962.[1]
In between his playing and managing careers, Rodgers served as a coach for theMinnesota Twins (1970–1974),San Francisco Giants (1976), and the Brewers (1978–1980). He managed in the Angels'farm system in 1975 and 1977. His managerial career was book-ended by unusual circumstances.
He first became manager of the Brewers (then a contending team in theAmerican League East Division) on an acting basis at the outset of the1980 season. He was serving as the club's third-base coach when managerGeorge Bamberger suffered a heart attack. Rodgers posted a record of 26–21 as acting field boss until Bamberger was able to return June 4. However, with the Brewers treading water under Bamberger with a record of 47–45, the manager stepped down on September 9, 1980, and Rodgers resumed the helm, the team winning 13 of its last 23 games to ultimately finish third.
The1981 campaign was disrupted for six weeks by an in-seasonplayers' strike, which caused the major leagues to adopt a split-season format. Rodgers led the Brewers to the best overall record in the AL East at 62–47 and the second half title, but Milwaukee lost the divisional playoff to theNew York Yankees, three games to two. It would be Rodgers' only postseason appearance as a manager. In 1982, theBrewers started slowly under Rodgers and he was fired June 1 with the team's record at 23–24. The Brewers then finished the season around under his successor, batting coachHarvey Kuenn, with 95 wins and went on to win their only American League pennant as "Harvey's Wallbangers".
After guiding theIndianapolis Indians of the AAAAmerican Association to the 1984 regular season championship, Rodgers was promoted to manager of the parent Expos, replacingJim Fanning. His first six years (1985–1990) in Montreal were largely successful, with the Expos averaging almost 84 wins per season, but when the team faltered in 1991, winning only 20 of its first 49 games, Rodgers was replaced as manager byTom Runnells on June 2.[2]
On August 26, 1991, the Angels firedDoug Rader and hired Rodgers as their new manager.[3] In his return to Anaheim, Rodgers led the Angels to a 20–18 record for the remainder of the campaign. He was 39 games into his first full season in1992 when the team bus was involved in an expressway accident inNew Jersey on May 20. Rodgers was seriously injured in the crash and missed 90 games. After his recovery, he resumed the helm on August 28, but his club lost 20 of 34 games to close the season. Then the1993 Angels finished 20 games below .500 (71–91). When the team started the1994 season at 16–23, Rodgers was fired on May 16 and replaced byMarcel Lachemann.
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| MIL | 1980 | 47 | 26 | 21 | .553 | 3rd in AL East | – | – | – | – |
| 23 | 13 | 10 | .565 | |||||||
| MIL | 1981 | 56 | 31 | 25 | .554 | 3rd in AL East | 2 | 3 | .400 | LostALDS (NYY) |
| 53 | 31 | 22 | .585 | 1st in AL East | ||||||
| MIL | 1982 | 47 | 23 | 24 | .489 | (fired) | – | – | – | – |
| MIL total | 226 | 124 | 102 | .549 | 2 | 3 | .400 | – | ||
| MTL | 1985 | 161 | 84 | 77 | .522 | 3rd in NL East | – | – | – | – |
| MTL | 1986 | 161 | 78 | 83 | .484 | 4th in NL East | – | – | – | – |
| MTL | 1987 | 162 | 91 | 71 | .562 | 3rd in NL East | – | – | – | – |
| MTL | 1988 | 162 | 81 | 81 | .500 | 3rd in NL East | – | – | – | – |
| MTL | 1989 | 162 | 81 | 81 | .500 | 4th in NL East | – | – | – | – |
| MTL | 1990 | 162 | 85 | 77 | .525 | 3rd in NL East | – | – | – | – |
| MTL | 1991 | 49 | 20 | 29 | .408 | (fired) | – | – | – | – |
| MTL total | 1,020 | 520 | 499 | .510 | – | – | – | – | ||
| CAL | 1991 | 38 | 20 | 18 | .526 | 7th in AL West | – | – | – | – |
| CAL | 1992 | 39 | 19 | 20 | .487 | 5th in AL West | – | — | – | – |
| 34 | 14 | 20 | .412 | |||||||
| CAL | 1993 | 162 | 71 | 91 | .438 | 5th in AL West | – | – | – | – |
| CAL | 1994 | 40 | 16 | 24 | .400 | (fired) | – | – | – | – |
| CAL total | 313 | 140 | 173 | .447 | – | – | – | – | ||
| Total[4] | 1,559 | 784 | 774 | .503 | 2 | 3 | .400 | |||
| Preceded by | Minnesota Twinsbullpen coach 1970–1973 | Succeeded by Jerry Zimmerman (1976) |
| Preceded by | Minnesota Twinspitching coach 1974 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | San Francisco Giantspitching coach 1976 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Milwaukee Brewersthird base coach 1978–1980 | Succeeded by |
