93.3 KWTO Keeping Watch Over the Ozarks
Baseball fans across the United States, and especially St. Louis Cardinals fans, are mourning the loss of beloved player and manager “Whitey” Herzog.
Born and raised in New Athens, Illinois, about 45 minutes southeast of St. Louis, Herzog took to sports very quickly in his youth.
Dorrel Norman Elvert Herzog was signed by the New York Yankees in 1949 out of high school, and made his Major League Baseball debut with the Washington Senators in 1956.
It was during his time in the Yankees minor league system that he was given the nickname “Whitey” because of his light blonde hair.
He went on to play for the Kansas City Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, and Detroit Tigers before getting in to coaching.
Herzog became a scout for the A’s in 1964, then a coach in 1965.
He then joined the New York Mets, where he spent seven seasons as a third-base coach and Director of Player Development.
In 1973, “Whitey” was named as the new manager of the Texas Rangers, but was fired before the end of his first season with the team at 47-91.
His next opportunity came with the California Angels, when he was hired mid-season after manager Bobby Winkles was fired.
At the end of the ’74 season, Herzog became the manager of the Kansas City Royals, winning three AL West titles from 1976-1978.
He then took his talents to St. Louis, where he managed the team from 1980-1990, while also being the clubs General Manager from 1980-1982.
Herzog lead the redbirds to a World Series title in 1982, and his brand of baseball became simply known as “Whiteyball” for his focus on pitching, speed, and defense to win games.
He is still the third-winningest manager in Cardinals history, amassing a record of 822-728 during his tenure, behind only Red Schoendienst and Tony La Russa.
Herzog is also the Royals all-time leader in winning percentage for a manager.
Reports say that Herzog passed away early Tuesday morning at the age of 92.