RIP - Frank Lucchesi

Ex-Phillies' and Rangers' manager Frank Lucchesi has passed away on June 8, 2019 at age 92.

Lucchesi was an organizational foot soldier for the Phillies for almost 2 decades. He managed their minor league teams from 1956-69, progressing his way up the ladder to AAA, until accepting a demotion back to AA for 1967-68 so the Phillies could inexplicably give recently-retired Bob Skinner the triple-A reins for those 2 years, having no previous managing experience. (In 1969, Skinner proved he was useless as a major-league manager.)

Frank finally got his shot in the majors in 1970, as the Phillies revamped their team, coaching staff, and even their uniforms that year. Lucchesi was the Phillies' last manager at Connie Mack Stadium, and their first at Veterans Stadium.

After all that waiting, Frank finally had the job he wanted, but not the players, as the Phillies continued to flounder in the early 1970s. He was fired mid-season in 1972, and replaced by the GM (Paul Owens) who "wanted to see up close who could play and who couldn't".

Lucchesi also managed the Rangers from mid-1975 to mid-1977, and the Cubs for the final 2 dozen games of 1987.

Philadelphia Inquirer obituary

SABR biography