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51-652: As manager William Charles Virdon (June 9, 1931 – November 23, 2021) was an American professional baseball outfielder , manager , and coach in Major League Baseball (MLB). Virdon played in MLB for the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates from 1955 through 1965 and in 1968. He served as a coach for the Pirates and Houston Astros , and managed the Pirates, Astros, New York Yankees , and Montreal Expos . After playing in

102-507: A death threat due to his preference of playing Elliott Maddox over Murcer in center field. The Yankees struggled in 1975. When Billy Martin was fired as manager of the Texas Rangers during the 1975 season, the Yankees fired Virdon on August 2 and hired Martin. With Yankee Stadium being renovated in the two years he was at the helm (the club played at Shea Stadium instead), Virdon became

153-693: A $ 1,800 signing bonus ($ 22,795 in current dollar terms). Virdon made his professional debut in 1950 with the Independence Yankees in the Class D Kansas–Oklahoma–Missouri League , and was promoted to the Kansas City Blues in the Class AAA American Association for the final 14 games of the season. Virdon played for the Norfolk Tars in the Class B Piedmont League in 1951, and for

204-472: A 67–69 record when the team fired Virdon and replaced him with Murtaugh. The Yankees announced the hiring of Dick Williams as their manager for the 1974 season, but American League president Joe Cronin nullified the transaction because Williams was still under contract with the Oakland Athletics . The Athletics demanded prospects Otto Vélez and Scott McGregor as compensation for Williams, but

255-632: A manager, Virdon led the Pirates to the 1972 NL East division title, but the Pirates lost the 1972 National League Championship Series (NLCS) to the Cincinnati Reds when Pittsburgh pitcher Bob Moose unleashed a wild pitch in the final inning of Game 5, allowing the winning run to score. The 1973 Pirates now played without Clemente, who died during the previous offseason. Further struggles included pitcher Steve Blass ' inability to throw strikes and injuries to Dock Ellis . Virdon clashed with Ellis and Richie Hebner . The Pirates were in third place with

306-431: A number of Pirates players had entered military service. Shepard left the Pirates after the 1969 season, and Virdon interviewed to become the Pirates' next manager. However, the Pirates re-hired Murtaugh, and Virdon remained on Murtaugh's coaching staff. Virdon coached for the Pirates as they won the 1971 World Series . Due to health problems, Murtaugh retired after the 1971 season, and Virdon was named as his successor. As

357-568: A reporter about not wanting to play 1981 with Virdon as manager, although management tried to walk back the report. The Astros played the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1980 NLCS that went the full five games that saw the final four end in extra innings while Houston blew an eighth inning lead in both Game 4 and Game 5, each held at home. He again won the Manager of the Year Award in 1980. Due to

408-404: A strong defensive team to the 1960 World Series championship. In 1962, Virdon won a Gold Glove Award . Following the 1965 season, he retired due to his desire to become a manager. Virdon managed in the minor leagues until returning to the Pirates as a coach in 1968. He served as manager of the Pirates in 1972 and 1973, before becoming the manager of the Yankees in 1974. During the 1975 season,

459-726: Is named "Bill Virdon Boulevard". Virdon was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 1983, and named a Missouri Sports Legend by the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2012. The Independence Baseball Hall of Fame inducted Virdon in 2013. Following Whitey Herzog 's election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010, Herzog indicated that he would champion Virdon's cause to the Veterans Committee in future elections. Virdon died on November 23, 2021, at

510-669: Is often applied as an umbrella term for all leagues — major and minor — under the authority of the Commissioner of Baseball . Operating outside the Minor League Baseball organization are many independent minor leagues such as the Atlantic League , American Association , Frontier League , and the feeder league to these the Empire Professional Baseball League . Japan has had professional baseball since

561-509: The 1981 Major League Baseball strike , the 1981 season was split into halves with each half's winner appearing in the 1981 NL Division Series . The Dodgers won the first half, while the Astros won the second. In the Division Series, the Astros won the first two games at home, each in extra innings. They then went to Los Angeles needing one more win. However, the Astros scored two runs combined in

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612-589: The Binghamton Triplets in the Class A Eastern League in 1952. The Yankees assigned him to Kansas City in 1953, but he struggled, batting .233. While he played in Kansas City, Virdon was diagnosed with astigmatism . When Kansas City manager Harry Craft noticed Virdon reading while wearing glasses , Craft told him to wear them while he played. The Yankees demoted Virdon to the Birmingham Barons in

663-492: The China National Baseball League , Israel Baseball League , and Baseball Philippines . During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, players of black African descent were barred from playing the major leagues , though several did manage to play by claiming to be Cubans or Native Americans . As a result, a number of parallel Negro leagues were formed. However, after Jackie Robinson began playing with

714-502: The Class AA Southern Association . In 42 games for Birmingham, Virdon had a .317 batting average. According to Hal Smith , his roommate with Birmingham, Virdon changed his approach to hitting, prioritizing line drives to all parts of the field, rather than trying to hit for power . Virdon remained stuck behind Mickey Mantle on the Yankees' depth chart for center field , while Gene Woodling and Hank Bauer played

765-516: The NL West division championship. The Astros tied the Los Angeles Dodgers for the division championship in 1980, and defeated them in the 1980 NL West tie-breaker game . While the team had success on the field, Virdon clashed with free agent (and future Hall of Famer) Joe Morgan , who bristled at Virdon's preference for taking Morgan out late for Rafael Landestoy ; Morgan even made a comment to

816-701: The New York Mets ' organization. In 1966, he managed the Williamsport Mets of the Eastern League, and in 1967, he managed the Jacksonville Suns of the International League. He led Williamsport to a 68–72 win–loss record, and Jacksonville to a 66–73 record. Virdon joined the Pirates' major league coaching staff under manager Larry Shepard in 1968. He also appeared in six games as a player because

867-579: The New York Yankees . Virdon batted .241 during the seven-game series. In the deciding Game 7, he hit a ground ball that struck Yankees shortstop Tony Kubek in the throat after taking an unpredictable bounce, enabling Virdon to reach base safely. This started a rally for the Pirates that culminated in Bill Mazeroski 's home run that won the series for Pittsburgh. Virdon led the NL in triples with 10 during

918-609: The Western League (1947–1958), Central League (1948–1951) and Western International League (1952–1954). The Western International League became the Class B Northwest League in 1955, and the Western and Central loops folded. The hierarchy of Triple-A through Class D continued until Minor League Baseball restructured in 1963, at which time Classes B through D were abolished, with existing leagues at those levels reassigned into Class A, while

969-561: The corner outfield positions. The Yankees traded Virdon to the St. Louis Cardinals before the 1954 season with Mel Wright and Emil Tellinger for veteran outfielder and All-Star Enos Slaughter . Virdon struggled during spring training, and Cardinals manager Eddie Stanky worked with Virdon to improve his hitting. The Cardinals assigned Virdon to the Rochester Red Wings of the Class AAA International League for

1020-436: The hit and run play and relying on the starting pitcher for too long into the game. Virdon returned to the Pirates as the hitting coach under Jim Leyland in 1986, Leyland's first season as a manager. He took the position only when he was convinced that he would not succeed Leyland should the Pirates fire him. Following a contract dispute, the Pirates replaced Virdon with Milt May before the 1987 season. Virdon remained with

1071-403: The .260s for the next several seasons. He led all NL center fielders in assists in 1959 with 16, and in double plays turned with five. In 1960, Virdon, along with right fielder Roberto Clemente , shortstop Dick Groat , second baseman Bill Mazeroski , and third baseman Don Hoak , formed a strong defensive unit for the Pirates, and they reached the 1960 World Series , where they faced

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1122-676: The 1930s. Nippon Professional Baseball consists of two leagues, the Central League and the Pacific League , each with six teams. South Korea has had professional baseball since 1982. There are 10 teams in KBO League . Taiwan has had professional baseball since the 1990s. The Chinese Professional Baseball League absorbed Taiwan Major League in 2003. There are currently 6 teams in the CPBL. Other Asian leagues include three now defunct leagues,

1173-506: The 1962 season. That year, he won the Rawlings Gold Glove Award . He struggled in the 1964 season, batting only .243. Though his batting average improved to .279 in the 1965 season, Virdon retired after the season due to his desire to become a manager . Virdon retired with 1,596 MLB hits and a career batting average of .267 with 91 home runs during his 1,583-game NL career. Virdon hit an impressive .404 against Sandy Koufax ,

1224-547: The 1983 season, replacing Jim Fanning , and signed him to a two-year contract. During the 1984 season, Virdon expressed to Expos general manager John McHale that he did not want to return to the Expos in 1985. With a 64–67 record in August 1984, the Expos fired Virdon, replacing him with Fanning. Gary Lucas , a pitcher for the Expos, felt that they had lost many one-run games because Virdon was too conservative in his managing, not employing

1275-475: The 2002 season. Virdon's career managerial record, over all or parts of 13 seasons, was 995–921 (.519). He also managed in the minor leagues for the Cardinals and the Astros. In June 2012, the Pirates attempted to add Virdon and Mazeroski to their coaching staff, but were rebuffed by MLB for violating the rules on uniformed coaching staffs after one game. Virdon continued to serve as a special outfield instructor for

1326-488: The Class A-Advanced level. These three leagues operated with Low-A naming for the 2021 season. Following MLB's acquisition of the rights to the names of the historical minor leagues, MLB announced on March 16, 2022, that the leagues would revert to their prior names, effective with the 2022 season. MLB also discontinued use of "Low-A" in favor of Single-A. On June 30, 2021, Minor League Baseball announced that

1377-534: The National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, oversees nearly all minor league baseball in the United States and Canada. The minor leagues are divided into classes AAA, AA, High-A, A, and Rookie. These minor-league divisions are affiliated with major league teams, and serve to develop young players and rehabilitate injured major-leaguers. "Affiliated baseball" (archaically, " organized baseball ")

1428-676: The Pirates as a guest instructor during spring training . William Charles Virdon was born in Hazel Park, Michigan , on June 9, 1931. His parents, Bertha and Charles Virdon, were originally from Missouri , but moved to Hazel Park during the Great Depression , where they were able to find jobs in automotive factories. When he was 12 years old, his family moved to West Plains, Missouri . Virdon attended West Plains High School . He competed in American football , basketball , and track and field for

1479-638: The Pirates as a minor league hitting instructor from 1987 through 1989. He worked as a spring training instructor for the Cardinals in 1990 and 1991, and then rejoined Leyland's coaching staff in Pittsburgh in 1992. With Major League Baseball expanding by two teams for the 1993 season, in 1992 Virdon interviewed for the managerial positions of both expansion teams, the Florida Marlins and the Colorado Rockies . The Marlins instead hired Rene Lachemann , and

1530-584: The Pirates during spring training. Virdon and his wife, Shirley, married in November 1951, and lived in Springfield, Missouri . They had three daughters. Together, Bill and Shirley Virdon endowed two scholarships at Southeast Missouri State University , Shirley's alma mater , with one specifically devoted to a baseball player. A portion of the U.S. Route 63 business route in West Plains from Grace Avenue to US 63

1581-500: The Rockies hired Don Baylor . In 1994, Virdon interviewed with the Orioles for their vacant managerial position. Virdon left the Pirates after the 1995 season. He became the bench coach for the Astros under first-time manager Larry Dierker in 1997. The Pirates brought Virdon back as their bench coach for the 2001 season under first-time manager Lloyd McClendon . He retired from coaching after

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1632-664: The South Atlantic League (renamed as the Southern League ) and Eastern League ascended to Double-A. In 1965, a Class A Short Season designation was created, for teams playing June–September schedules, primarily meant for new players acquired via the amateur draft . The Class A-Advanced designation was established in 1990, between Class A and Double-A in the minor league hierarchy. Class A and Class A Short Season were considered independent classifications, with Class A having "Full-Season" and Advanced sub-classifications, per

1683-612: The Yankees decided the price was too steep. Without a manager, the Yankees hired Virdon, signing him to a one-year contract. Virdon led the Yankees to a competitive finish, one game behind the Baltimore Orioles in the American League East division. He won The Sporting News ' Manager of the Year Award . The Yankees signed him to a two-year contract after the 1974 season, with a raise from $ 50,000 to $ 65,000 per year. However, Virdon clashed with Bobby Murcer . He received

1734-407: The Yankees fired Virdon, and he was hired by the Astros. After being fired by the Astros after the 1982 season, Virdon managed the Expos in 1983 and 1984. Virdon won The Sporting News ' Manager of the Year Award in 1974, his only full season working for the Yankees, and in 1980, while managing the Astros. He returned to the Pirates as a coach following his managerial career, and remained with

1785-661: The age of 90. Professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada consists of the National League (founded in 1876) and the American League (founded in 1901). Historically, teams in one league never played teams in

1836-558: The highest average of any batter facing the legendary Hall of Fame pitcher. Virdon began operating a baseball academy in 1956. After the 1962 season, Virdon coached in the Arizona Instructional League . He coached in the Florida Instructional League following the 1964 season. Following his retirement as a player after the 1965 season, Virdon spent the next two seasons as a manager in the minor leagues for

1887-568: The highest level, restricted to leagues with cities that had an aggregate population of over a million people. Entering the 1902 season, the only Class A leagues were the Eastern League and the Western League —both leagues had eight teams, in cities such as Toronto, Ontario ; Buffalo, New York ; Worcester, Massachusetts ; Omaha, Nebraska ; Denver, Colorado ; and Peoria, Illinois . Leagues operating within less populated areas were classified as Class B, Class C, or Class D. Class A remained

1938-648: The major-league Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, the Negro leagues gradually faded. The process of integration did not go entirely smoothly; there were some ugly incidents, including pitchers who would try to throw directly at a black player's head. Now, however, baseball is fully integrated, and there is little to no racial tension between teammates. Between 1943 and 1954, the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League fielded teams in several Midwestern towns. Class A (baseball) Class A

1989-498: The minors for the Yankees organization, Virdon was traded to the Cardinals, and he made his MLB debut in 1955. That year, Virdon won the National League Rookie of the Year Award . He slumped at the beginning of the 1956 season, and was traded to the Pirates, where he spent the remainder of his playing career. A premier defensive outfielder during his playing days as a center fielder for the Cardinals and Pirates, Virdon led

2040-490: The next three games to lose the series. During the 1982 season, the Astros fell to fifth place with a disastrous 9-14 first month that had them go below .500 by the fifth game and never recover. Beset by injuries to relievers Joe Sambito and Dave Smith that each saw them miss significant time, the Astros lost over a dozen games in late innings. On August 11, Virdon was fired during the season and replaced by Bob Lillis . The Montreal Expos hired Virdon as their manager before

2091-531: The only Yankees manager (post-1923) to never manage a game at the Yankees’ venerable ballpark. The Houston Astros hired Virdon as their manager on August 20, 1975, succeeding Preston Gómez . Tal Smith , who had served as executive vice president for the Yankees, had become the Astros' general manager on August 7. Virdon led the Astros to third-place finishes in 1976 and 1977, but the Astros slipped to fifth place in 1978. The 1979 Astros fell one game short of winning

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2142-564: The other until the World Series , in which the champions of the two leagues played against each other. This changed in 1997 with the advent of interleague play . The Philadelphia Phillies , founded in 1883, are the oldest continuous same-name, same-city franchise in both Major League Baseball and all of American professional sports. In addition to the major leagues, many North American cities and towns feature minor league teams. An organization officially styled Minor League Baseball , formerly

2193-610: The rules governing baseball's minor leagues. The overall hierarchy was: Entering the 2020 minor league season (which was not played due to the COVID-19 pandemic ), Class A consisted of the Midwest League and South Atlantic League (a newer "Sally League", which been formed in 1963 as the Western Carolinas League ). Prior to the 2021 season, MLB restructured the minor leagues, eliminating Class A Short Season and discontinuing

2244-458: The school. As West Plains did not compete in baseball , Virdon traveled to Clay Center, Kansas , to play for their American Amateur Baseball Congress team as a center fielder and shortstop . He enrolled at Drury University in Springfield, Missouri . Virdon attended an open tryout held by the New York Yankees in Branson, Missouri , and scout Tom Greenwade signed Virdon to the Yankees for

2295-404: The season, which increased his season batting average to .319, second-best in the NL to Aaron, who batted .328. Pirates' announcer Bob Prince gave Virdon the nickname "Quail" due to the frequency of his soft-hit infield hits . The Pirates hired Danny Murtaugh as their manager during the 1957 season; Virdon credited Murtaugh with pushing him to perform at his best. Virdon consistently batted in

2346-625: The season. He led the league with a .333 batting average and hit 22 home runs, finishing second in voting for the International League Most Valuable Player Award to catcher Elston Howard with the Toronto Maple Leafs Baseball Club. Virdon joined the Cardinals in 1955, as the Cardinals moved Stan Musial to first base to allow Virdon to play the outfield. As a rookie , Virdon had a .281 average with 17 home runs and 69 runs batted in (RBIs). He

2397-660: The top classification until Class AA was established in 1912, then remained the second-highest classification until Class A1 was established in 1936. In 1946, the top two levels changed from being Class AA and Class A1 to being Class AAA and AA, with Class A remaining the third-highest level, above Classes B through D. Class A in 1946 consisted of the Eastern League and the original South Atlantic League (or "Sally League"), with teams in communities such as Vancouver, British Columbia ; Omaha, Nebraska ; Colorado Springs, Colorado ; Charlotte, North Carolina ; Scranton, Pennsylvania ; and Allentown, Pennsylvania . Class A soon included

2448-571: The use of all historical league names within Minor League Baseball. The Midwest League and South Atlantic League were reclassified as "High-A" leagues, and operated during 2021 as High-A Central and High-A East , respectively. They were replaced at the Class A level by three "Low-A" leagues: Low-A West , Low-A East , and Low-A Southeast . These leagues had historically been known as the California League , Carolina League , and Florida State League , respectively, and had previously operated at

2499-460: Was because he tired down the stretch, and that is why he chose to trade him. Lane later referred to the trade as "the worst trade [he] ever made". When he arrived at Pittsburgh, he developed an eye condition, for which he received treatment, missing one week of the season. Virdon's vision improved, and he challenged Hank Aaron for the NL batting title . Virdon batted .334 for the Pirates during remainder of

2550-675: Was named the winner of the National League (NL) Rookie of the Year Award , voted on by the Baseball Writers' Association of America , beating Jack Meyer of the Philadelphia Phillies . After the 1955 season, the Cardinals hired Frank Lane , nicknamed "The Trader", as their general manager . Virdon slumped to begin the 1956 season, and the Cardinals traded him to the Pittsburgh Pirates in May 1956 for Bobby Del Greco and Dick Littlefield . Lane claimed that Virdon's late season slump in 1955

2601-404: Was originally the highest level of Minor League Baseball , beginning with the earliest classifications, established circa 1890. Teams within leagues at this level had their players' contracts protected and the players were subject to reserve clauses . When the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues – the formal name of Minor League Baseball – was founded in 1901, Class A remained

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