Whitey Herzog, Former MLB Manager and Innovator of 'Whiteyball,' Dead at 92

Herzog won the 1982 World Series as a manager for the St. Louis Cardinals and was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010

Whitey Herzog, the St. Louis Cardinals’ Hall of Fame manager and former Major League Baseball player, has died, the Cardinals franchise announced Tuesday, April 16. He was 92.

"On behalf of the entire St. Louis Cardinals organization, I would like to offer our condolences to the family and many friends of Whitey Herzog," Cardinals' CEO Bill DeWitt Jr. said in a statement shared on the team’s website.

He added, "Whitey and his teams played a big part in changing the direction of the Cardinals franchise in the early 1980s with an exciting style of play that would become known as ‘Whiteyball’ throughout baseball. Whitey loved the Cardinals, their fans, and St. Louis. He will be sorely missed."

Herzog’s family said that the former MLB manager and general manager died with his loved ones by his side, in a statement shared by the Cardinals.

"Whitey spent his last few days surrounded by his family,” his family said. “We have so appreciated all of the prayers and support from friends who knew he was very ill. Although it is hard for us to say goodbye, his peaceful passing was a blessing for him."

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Herzog managed the Cardinals for a decade, from 1980 to 1990. He led the St. Louis franchise to a 1982 World Series title and three National League Championships throughout his tenure.

The New Athens, Ill., native also took over as the team’s general manager in the fall of 1980, giving him the ability to not only pick the players he wanted for the team but also to manage them from the dugout every day.

Herzog reshaped the team during the 1980 offseason, according to the Cardinals, making a series of “blockbuster” trades that involved 21 players with the goal of building a team based on speed and defense. The next year’s team went on to have the best record in the National League and won the World Series the year after that.

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Herzog also managed the Texas Rangers, California Angels, and the Kansas City Royals prior to joining the Cardinals in 1980.

During his own eight-year playing career, Herzog played outfield for the Washington Senators, the Kansas City Athletics, the Baltimore Orioles, and the Detroit Tigers, batting a career .257 with 25 home runs and 172 RBI.

The player-turned-manager was inducted to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010, the same year his No. 24 was retired by the St. Louis Cardinals.

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"Whitey Herzog was one of the most accomplished managers of his generation and a consistent winner with both 'I-70' franchises," MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement shared by the league.

"He made a significant impact on the St. Louis Cardinals as both a manager and a general manager, with the Kansas City Royals as a manager, and with the New York Mets in player development. Whitey's Cardinals' teams reached the World Series three times in the 1980s, winning the Championship in 1982, by leaning on an identity of speed and defense that resonated with baseball fans across the world," the commissioner continued.

Manfred added, "On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend my deepest condolences to Whitey's family, his friends across the game, and the fans of the Cardinals and the Royals."

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