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| Bob Lillis | |
|---|---|
 Lillis in 1976 | |
| Infielder /Manager /Coach | |
| Born: (1930-06-02)June 2, 1930 (age 94) Altadena, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 17, 1958, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 17, 1967, for the Houston Astros | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .236 |
| Home runs | 3 |
| Runs batted in | 137 |
| Games managed | 537 |
| Win–loss record | 276–261 |
| Winning % | .514 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Managerial record at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| |
Robert Perry Lillis (born June 2, 1930) is an American formerinfielder,manager,coach andscout inMajor League Baseball (MLB). Lillis was an original member of the1962 expansionHouston Colt .45s who remained with the club (renamed theAstros in1965) for more than two decades and later became its manager. He threw and battedright-handed and was listed as 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) tall and 160 pounds (73 kg).[1]
Lillis was born inAltadena, California, and he attendedPasadena High School, where he was an All-Southern Californiashortstop for the baseball team. Lillis played baseball atPasadena City College and then transferred to theUniversity of Southern California (USC).[2]
Lillis signed his first contract with theBrooklyn Dodgers in1951. Ashortstop by trade, he spent eight years in the Dodger farm system, buried (along with many others) behindHall of FamerPee Wee Reese. In1958, the Dodgers' first season in Lillis's home city ofLos Angeles, he made the Major League team. Lillis never claimed the regular shortstop job—that would go toMaury Wills—and in the middle of the1961 campaign, he was traded to theSt. Louis Cardinals. After a half season with the Redbirds, he was selected by Houston in the1961 MLB expansion draft.
Lillis then spent almost six full seasons as a shortstop and utility infielder for the Astros, serving as a coach for the first two weeks of1967 before being activated as an infielder. Houston then released him at season's end. Over his ten-year MLB career, Lillis appeared in 817 games andbatted .236 with threehome runs; his 549hits included 68doubles and ninetriples.
After scouting and player development posts with Houston from 1968 to 1972, Lillis returned to the Astro coaching staff in 1973 and served under managersLeo Durocher,Preston Gómez andBill Virdon. On August 10,1982, he succeeded Virdon as manager with the club in fifth place in theNational League West Division with a record of 49–62. Lillis led the team to 28 wins in 51 games and was rehired for full seasons from 1983 to 1985.
Houston never climbed above second place, however, and even though Lillis compiled a winning 276–261 (.514) record during that period, he was replaced byHal Lanier at the close of the 1985 campaign. The following year, Lanier would lead the Astros to a NL West title. Lillis then joined the coaching staff of a former Dodger teammate,Roger Craig, with theSan Francisco Giants, and remained with the team for eleven years (through1996).
Lillis is a member of the Pasadena Sports Hall of Fame.[3]
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| HOU | 1982 | 51 | 28 | 23 | .549 | 5th in NL West | – | – | – | – |
| HOU | 1983 | 162 | 85 | 77 | .525 | 3rd in NL West | – | – | – | – |
| HOU | 1984 | 162 | 80 | 82 | .494 | 2nd in NL West | – | – | – | – |
| HOU | 1985 | 162 | 83 | 79 | .512 | 4th in NL West | – | – | – | – |
| Total | 537 | 276 | 261 | .514 | ||||||
