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 ca ...

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 activities ...

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 * Co ...

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 (AL), ...

. He managed three major league teams: the Milwaukee Brewers (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 t ...

(1985–1991) and California Angels (1991–1994), compiling a career won-lost mark of 784–773 (.504).

Playing career

Born in

Delaware, Ohio Delaware is a city in and the county seat of Delaware County, Ohio, United States. Delaware was founded in 1808 and was incorporated in 1816. It is located near the center of Ohio, is about north of Columbus, and is part of the Columbus, 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 and

Ohio Northern University Ohio Northern University (Ohio Northern or ONU) is a private United Methodist Church–affiliated university in Ada, Ohio. Founded by Henry Solomon Lehr in 1871, ONU is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. It offers over 60 programs to ...

. He signed his first professional contract with the Detroit Tigers in 1956, spent five years in their farm system, and was selected by the Angels in the 1960 MLB Expansion Draft. He was a top defensive catcher and a switch-hitter who played nine major league seasons (1961–1969), all with the Angels, compiling a .232

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 ...

with 704 hits, 114 doubles, 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. As a player, Rodgers caught

Bo Belinsky Robert "Bo" Belinsky (December 7, 1936 – November 23, 2001) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played for the Los Angeles Angels, Philadelphia Phillies, Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Cincinnati Reds of Major League ...

's no-hitter on May 5, 1962.

Managerial career

In between his playing and managing careers, Rodgers served as a coach for the Minnesota Twins (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 Y ...

(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.

Milwaukee Brewers

He first became manager of the Brewers (then a contending team in the

American League East Division The American League East is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. MLB consists of an East, Central, and West division for each of its two 15-team leagues, the American League (AL) and National League (NL). This division was created before ...

) on an acting basis at the outset of the 1980 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 ...

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 of ...

, 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), Clev ...

, 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 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 William James Fanning (September 14, 1927 – April 25, 2015) was an American-Canadian catcher, manager and front office executive in Major League Baseball. Often called "Gentleman Jim", Fanning was the first general manager of the Montreal Expo ...

. 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, astrophysicist ...

) 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 career ...

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 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 Delaware ...

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