Whitey Herzog, manager who led Royals to first division titles, dies at 92
The Royals had been a model expansion franchise, turning a winning season in their third year, and soon becoming a contender.
But the team didn’t finish first until Whitey Herzog became the manager.
Herzog, who guided the Royals to three AL West titles in the 1970s, has died, the St. Louis Cardinals confirmed. He was 92.
The bulk of Herzog’s success came in St. Louis, where he led the Cardinals to the 1982 World Series championship and three National League pennants.
In Kansas City, Herzog molded a team of young stars like George Brett and Frank White, along with veterans like Hal McRae, Amos Otis and Paul Splittorff, into division champions.
“For us to come with the Royals and win the division and almost get to the World Series — that was my biggest thrill in baseball,” Herzog told The Star in 2000, when he was inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame.”
Herzog’s teams won 90, 102 and 92 games as the Royals won the West from 1976-78. The Royals fell to the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series in each of those seasons. His .574 winning percentage (410-304) is the best for a manager in Royals history.
“He’s the one that taught us how to win,” Brett said in a 2000 interview. “He expected good things, and he wasn’t going to tolerate anything but excellence.”
The Royals finished second in 1979, and Herzog, who had clashed with owner Ewing Kauffman, was fired after the season.
Herzog debuted as a manager with the Texas Rangers in 1973 and was manager of the California Angels in 1974. After Kansas City, Herzog took over in St. Louis as manager and general manager.
He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010 with an all-time record of 1,281-1,125 (.532) over 18 seasons. His 822 wins with the Cardinals are third most in franchise history (Tony La Russa had 1,408 and Red Schoendienst had 1,041).
Herzog was the Cards’ manager in 1985, when they lost to the Royals in the World Series.
He also spent three of his eight major league seasons as a player with the Kansas City A’s (1958-60).
Matt Quatraro, the current Royals manager, spoke on Herzog’s passing Tuesday evening ahead of a game against the White Sox that was eventually postponed due to rain.
“He is a legend. He is a Royals Hall of Famer and a National Baseball Hall of Famer,” Quatraro said. “I looked up today how many years he actually played. He played eight seasons before managing for 20 or more. That, even in itself — the longevity is impressive. ...
”The late 70s and early 80s, that’s my wheelhouse as a fan of baseball. And you know, he was managing the Royals every year and the (New York) Yankees would play them in the playoffs. He was managing the (St. Louis) Cardinals through their really impressive runs. So the success he had and just asking questions about him — understanding the sense of humor he had and the way he related to players — he is a really impressive person.”
The Star’s Jaylon Thompson contributed to this report.
This story was originally published April 16, 2024 at 1:11 PM.