Robert Leroy "Buck" Rodgers (born August 16, 1938) is a former

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the ( home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the cat ...

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activitie ...

and

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

. He managed three major league teams: the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

(1980–1982),

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in ...

(1985–1991) and

California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ...

(1991–1994), compiling a career won-lost mark of 784–773 (.504).

Playing career

Born in Delaware, 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 attended

Ohio Wesleyan University Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU) is a private liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio. It was founded in 1842 by methodist leaders and Central Ohio residents as a nonsectarian institution, and is a member of the Ohio Five – a consorti ...

and Ohio Northern University. He signed his first professional contract with the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

in 1956, spent five years in their

farm system In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...

, and was selected by the Angels in the

1960 MLB Expansion Draft The 1960 MLB expansion draft was held by Major League Baseball on December 14, 1960, to fill the rosters of the Los Angeles Angels and the Washington Senators. The Angels and Senators (who later became the Texas Rangers) were new franchises that ...

. He was a top defensive catcher and a

switch-hitter In baseball, a switch hitter is a player who bats both right-handed and left-handed, usually right-handed against left-handed pitchers and left-handed against right-handed pitchers. Characteristics Right-handed batters generally hit better aga ...

who played nine major league seasons (1961–1969), all with the Angels, compiling a .232 batting average with 704

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, 114

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, 18 triples and 31

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s in 932

games played Games played (GP) is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated (in any capacity); the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested. Basebal ...

. As a player, Rodgers caught Bo Belinsky's

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...

on May 5, 1962.

Managerial career

In between his playing and managing careers, Rodgers served as a coach for the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

(1970–1974),

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yo ...

(1976), and the Brewers (1978–1980). He managed in the Angels'

in 1975 and 1977. His managerial career was book-ended by unusual circumstances.

Milwaukee Brewers

He first became manager of the Brewers (then a contending team in the American League East Division) on an acting basis at the outset of the

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – In ...

season. He was serving as the club's third-base coach when manager

George Bamberger George Irvin Bamberger (August 1, 1923 – April 4, 2004) was an American professional baseball player, pitching coach and manager. In Major League Baseball, the right-handed pitcher appeared in ten games, nine in relief, for the 1951–52 New Y ...

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. The 1981 campaign was disrupted for six weeks by an in-season players' 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 the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one ...

, three games to two. It would be Rodgers' only postseason appearance as a manager. In 1982, the Brewers started slowly under Rodgers and he was fired June 1 with the team's record a mediocre 23–24. The Brewers then turned their season around under his successor, batting coach

Harvey Kuenn Harvey Edward Kuenn (; December 4, 1930 – February 28, 1988) was an American professional baseball player, coach, and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). As a shortstop and outfielder, he played with the Detroit Tigers (1952–1959), Cle ...

, to finish with 95 wins and went on to win their only American League pennant as "Harvey's Wallbangers."

Montreal Expos

After guiding the

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory Field, which opened ...

of the AAA

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

to the 1984 regular season championship, Rodgers was promoted to manager of the parent Expos, replacing Jim Fanning. His first six years (

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

–

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicis ...

) 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 by

Tom Runnells Thomas William Runnells (born April 17, 1955) is an American former infielder, coach and manager in Major League Baseball. Biography Runnells attended the University of Northern Colorado and originally signed with the San Francisco Giants. He pla ...

on June 2.

California Angels

On August 26, 1991, the Angels fired

Doug Rader Douglas Lee Rader (born July 30, 1944), nicknamed "The Red Rooster", is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball who was known primarily for his defensive ability, winning five straight Gold Glove Awards from 1970 to 1974. Rader's caree ...

and hired Rodgers as their new manager.Angels fire Doug Rader
/ref> 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 in

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment building in Amsterdam after two of its engin ...

when the team bus was involved in an expressway accident in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

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 the 1993 Angels finished 20 games below .500 (71–91). When the team started the season at 16–23, Rodgers was fired on May 16 and replaced by Marcel Lachemann.

Managerial statistics

References

External links

Baseball-Reference.com
– career playing statistics
Baseball-Reference.com
– career managing record {{DEFAULTSORT:Rodgers, Buck 1938 births Living people American expatriate baseball people in Canada American expatriate baseball people in the Dominican Republic Baseball coaches from Ohio Baseball players from Ohio Birmingham Barons players California Angels managers California Angels players Caribbean Series managers Dallas Rangers players Denver Bears players El Paso Diablos players Erie Sailors players Hawaii Islanders players Idaho Falls Russets players Indianapolis Indians managers Jamestown Falcons players Knoxville Smokies players Lancaster Red Roses players Los Angeles Angels players Major League Baseball bullpen coaches Major League Baseball catchers Major League Baseball pitching coaches Major League Baseball third base coaches Manager of the Year Award winners Milwaukee Brewers coaches Milwaukee Brewers managers Minnesota Twins coaches Montreal Expos managers Ohio Northern University alumni Ohio Wesleyan Battling Bishops baseball players People from Delaware, Ohio Philadelphia Phillies scouts Salinas Packers players San Francisco Giants coaches