Harold Clifton Lanier (born July 4, 1942) is an American former

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field, between first base and third base. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns pla ...

, coach and

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB). Known as a brainy, defense-first player, he won National League Manager of the Year as a rookie manager for leading the Astros to the

National League West The National League West is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was created for the 1969 season when the National League (baseball), National League (NL) expanded to 12 teams by adding the San Diego Padres and the Montr ...

division championship in 1986. From November 2014 through the end of his 2018 contract, Lanier served as the first manager of the Ottawa Champions of the independent Can-Am League. From through , Lanier played for the

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

(1964–71) and

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

(1972–73). He is the son of

Max Lanier Hubert Max Lanier (August 18, 1915 – January 30, 2007) was an American professional baseball pitcher. He spent most of his Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the St. Louis Cardinals, but also played for the New York Giants and St. Louis ...

, a former MLB All-Star

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

Playing career

In his

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience, a rookie is typically considered needing more tra ...

season Lanier posted a career-high .274

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

for the San Francisco Giants and was selected for the 1964 ''

Topps The Topps Company, Inc. is an American company that manufactures trading cards and other collectibles. Formerly based in New York City, Topps is best known as a leading producer of Baseball card, baseball and other sports and Non-sports tradi ...

'' All-Star Rookie team. Lanier once scored from first base on a bunt. Lanier ran into trouble with

Willie Mays Willie Howard Mays Jr. (May 6, 1931 – June 18, 2024), nicknamed "the Say Hey Kid", was an American professional baseball center fielder who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of ...

in 1965. Due to the unpredictable winds at

Candlestick Park Candlestick Park was an outdoor stadium located in the Bayview-Hunters Point, Hunters Point area of San Francisco, California, United States. It was originally the home of Major League Baseball's San Francisco Giants, who played there from 1960 S ...

, Mays used to position the infielders on how to play the ball. When Lanier ignored his signal a couple times during a game, Mays asked manager

Herman Franks Herman Louis Franks (January 4, 1914 – March 30, 2009) was an American catcher, coach, manager, general manager and scout in Major League Baseball. He was born in Price, Utah, to Italian-American immigrant parents and attended the University ...

to bench Lanier for a few games. However, by the end of the season, Mays had made Lanier the infield captain for the Giants, in charge of taking a trip to the mound if a pitcher needed a break. In 1968, Lanier led NL

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball positions, baseball or softball fielding position between second base, second and third base, which is considered to be among the Defensive spectrum, most demanding defensive positions. Historically, the ...

s in

putout In baseball statistics, a putout (PO) is awarded to a defensive player who (generally while in secure possession of the ball) records an out by one of the following methods: * Tagging a runner with the ball when he is not touching a base (a tag ...

s (282) and fielding average (.979). After that, he moved from

second base In baseball and softball, second baseman, abbreviated 2B, is a fielding position in the infield, between second and first base. The second baseman often possesses quick hands and feet, needs the ability to get rid of the ball quickly, and must ...

to shortstop, and finally to

third base A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...

. He also played in part of two seasons with the New York Yankees. In a 10-season career, Lanier was a .228 hitter with eight

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

s and 273 RBI in 1196

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. Associat ...

. In each of the three seasons from 1967 to 1969 he ranked last among NL qualifiers in average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage.

Managerial career

Following his playing career, Lanier managed in the minors and served as third base coach for the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

from 1981–85, including the 1982 World Series and National League champion teams. He was hired on November 5, 1985, to manage the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

, replacing Bob Lillis. In 1986, he was named NL Manager of the Year by the BBWA and ''TSN'' for leading the Astros to their first Division title since

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

and the best record (96-66) in team history up to that point, which greatly surpassed expectations from a team that had finished fourth the previous year and hadn't won 90 games since 1980. Hal’s ego then began to grow which led to his eventual downfall as a manager. ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

'', for example, had ranked the Astros as the 22nd best team in baseball prior to the season. He utilized an aggressive strategy built on pitching and baserunning meant to mirror the Cardinal teams he had coached on. The Astros had a four-man rotation of players over 26 that started at least 25 games in Mike Scott (18 wins),

Bob Knepper Robert Wesley Knepper (born May 25, 1954) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher. From 1976 to 1990, he pitched 15 seasons for the San Francisco Giants and Houston Astros, earning two All-Star appearances as well as the 1981 NL Com ...

(17 wins),

Nolan Ryan Lynn Nolan Ryan Jr. (born January 31, 1947), nicknamed "the Ryan Express", is an American former professional baseball pitcher and sports executive. Over a record 27-year playing career in Major League Baseball (MLB), Ryan pitched for the New Yo ...

(twelve wins) and Jim Deshaies (twelve wins); the 3.15 ERA as a team was second best in the National League. While they finished eighth in runs scored for National League teams (654), the Astros had three players steal at least twenty bases. They were one game behind in the division (47-41) leading to the 1986 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, held in Houston. They won ten of the 14 games after the All-Star break, which included five straight walk-off victories; they won 14 of their last 18 games to clinch the division title, which famously saw the division be clinched in the Astrodome on a no-hitter pitched by Scott on September 25. Lanier was the first rookie manager to win the Manager of the Year award, edging out Davey Johnson with 19 out of 24 first-place votes. The Astros faced Johnson and the National League East champion

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

(who won 108 games) in the

1986 National League Championship Series The 1986 National League Championship Series was a best-of-seven postseason series in Major League Baseball’s 1986 postseason between the NL East champion New York Mets and NL West champion Houston Astros. It was the 18th NLCS and the first ...

. The Mets would win the series in six games, as the Astros could only pull their victories from their ace Mike Scott in Game 1 and Game 4 (Scott, who allowed one total earned run in two complete games, would've likely started Game 7). All six games were close: Game 3 saw a one run lead in the 9th turn into a walk off win for the Mets, while Game 5 saw the Astros lose on a walk off single in the 12th, and Game 6 saw them lose a 3-0 lead in the 9th in an eventual 7-6 loss in the 16th. In that series, Lanier did not use Jim Deshaies (who had gone 12-5 as a rookie that year) at any point of the series, despite having him tabbed for starting Game 5 before it was rained out (instead, he went with

). He also did not use trade acquisition

Danny Darwin Danny Wayne Darwin (born October 25, 1955), known as "the Bonham Bullet", is an American professional baseball pitcher and coach, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Milwaukee Brewers, Houston Astros, Boston Red Sox ...

at any point, as he tabbed Darwin to start Game 1 of a potential World Series. A power struggle between Lanier and Astros' general manager Dick Wagner in 1987 eventually led to Wagner leaving the team; the team went 76-86 that season, as they gave up more runs (678) than they scored as a whole (648). Indicative of their problems was Nolan Ryan, who had a 2.76 ERA (best in the National League) but a win-loss record of 8-16. The Astros lost 26 of their last 37 games that year, and Lanier cited a dislocated finger injury suffered by starting catcher Alan Ashby as a key to their late fizzle. Lanier was described as an emotional manager who had moments when his temper get the best of him, and he admitted to being a firm manager (albeit one who seemed right in being firm when the team won games). In 1988, the Astros lost a home game to the

. As the team prepared to eat the post-game meal, take showers, and go home, they received word they were wanted back on the field. Lanier brought out the batting cage and ordered the team to take batting practice again. Lanier was fired at the end of the season, having gone 80-82 in his third season. The Astros scored 617 runs and allowed 631, finishing eighth in both categories in the National League. Astro owner John McMullen cited the need for a clean slate in firing Lanier. Lanier was replaced by Art Howe. In three total seasons, Lanier had a 254-232 win–loss record.

Later career

Lanier had one major league job in the coming years, but not as manager. He interviewed for the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

and

in 1990 ( Lou Pinella and

Joe Torre Joseph Paul Torre Jr. (; born July 18, 1940) is an American professional baseball Senior management, executive and former player, Manager (baseball), manager, and television color commentator. He has served as a special assistant to the Commiss ...

were hired, respectively) and the

in 1991 ( Buck Showalter was hired). He served as the bench coach for the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

under Nick Leyva for the 1990 and 1991 seasons before Levya was fired. In recent years, Lanier has managed in the

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

minor leagues. He managed for the

Winnipeg Goldeyes The Winnipeg Goldeyes are a professional minor-league baseball team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The Goldeyes play in the American Association of Professional Baseball, which they joined in 2011. Previously, the Goldeyes were members of ...

in the Northern League from 1996 to 2006; they reached the championship series five times but lost each time. He moved to the Joliet Jackhammers for 2006 and 2007. He moved to the Can-Am League to manage the Sussex Skyhawks in 2008. While with the Skyhawks, Lanier led the team to the league championship that year over the Quebec Capitales in the Can-Am League Championship Series. He left the Skyhawks following the 2009 season to become manager of the Normal CornBelters after a horrid 2009 season, where he managed the CornBelters in the Frontier League from 2010 to 2011. On December 12, 2012, the Yuma Desert Rats of the independent American West Baseball League, announced they had come to terms with Lanier to manage the Desert Rats for the 2013 season, however the team folded before playing a game. On November 18, 2014, the Ottawa Champions of the Can-Am League announced that Lanier would be their manager for the 2015 season. On September 17, 2016, his team beat the Rockland Boulders 3-1 to win the 2016 league championship three games to two. In late 2018, Lanier was fired by Ottawa after the Champions missed the playoffs in two consecutive seasons.

Personal life

Lanier's father

played fifteen years and pitched in the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...

three times. Lanier's mother died in a Christmas Eve car crash when Hal was six years old; his father later remarried. On March 6, 1986, Lanier married Mary Ross in St. Louis. Lanier has been married three times, and has one daughter from each marriage, including a stepdaughter from his 2001 marriage to current wife, Pam. When not involved in baseball, he enjoys playing golf.

References

External links