Buck Rodgers
Robert Leroy "Buck" Rodgers is an American former professional baseball player, coach, and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Los Angeles / California Angels for nine seasons during the 1960s. He later managed three major-league teams: the Milwaukee Brewers, Montreal Expos, and California Angels, compiling a managerial record of.
Playing career
Born in Delaware, 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. 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, all with the Angels, compiling a.232 batting average with 704 hits, 114 doubles, 18 triples and 31 home runs in 932 games played. As a player, Rodgers caught Bo Belinsky'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, San Francisco Giants, and the Brewers. 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 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 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, 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 at 23–24. The Brewers then finished the season around under his successor, batting coach Harvey Kuenn, with 95 wins and went on to win their only American League pennant as "Harvey's Wallbangers".