Frank Lucchesi

Frank Lucchesi prior to a May 1977 game between the Rangers and the Toronto Blue Jays.

Frank Joseph Lucchesi (born April 24, 1927 in San Francisco, California) is a former manager in Major League Baseball who ran the Philadelphia Phillies (1970–72), Texas Rangers (1975–77) and Chicago Cubs (1987, interim manager). His career managerial win–loss record is 316–399 (.442).

In 1972, Lucchesi was fired by the Phillies' general manager, Paul Owens, who took over as manager himself. In 1977, Lucchesi was assaulted by Lenny Randle, the Rangers' second baseman, whom he had benched. The furor led indirectly to Lucchesi's firing. Randle was found guilty of assault, and Lucchesi later sued for $200,000, blaming Randle for the loss of his job. The case was settled. In 1987, Lucchesi was named interim manager after the Cubs fired Gene Michael.

Minor league career

Lucchesi also had a long career as an outfielder and manager in the minors. As a player, he toiled largely in the mid- and lower minors, in the Class B Western International League and Class C California League. He batted .276 in 1,149 games with 56 home runs. Lucchesi batted and threw right-handed, stood 5 feet 7 inches (1.7 m) tall and weighed 170 pounds (77 kg).

His managing career began as a playing skipper in 1951 in the Class D Far West League. He joined the Phillies' farm system as a manager in 1956, and logged 14 seasons there, including Triple-A assignments with the Arkansas Travelers, San Diego Padres and Eugene Emeralds, winning two championships; Eugene's 1969 Pacific Coast League regular-season division title earned Lucchesi promotion to the manager's job in Philadelphia the following season. In the 1970s and 1980s, Lucchesi also managed in the Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds organizations, and served two terms as the Texas Rangers' third-base coach—both before and after his managerial tenure there.

External links

• Baseball-Reference.com - career managing record
• BaseballLibrary.com - profile and career highlights

Sporting positions
Preceded by George Myatt	Philadelphia Phillies Manager 1970–1972	Succeeded by Paul Owens
Preceded by Billy Martin	Texas Rangers Managers 1975–1977	Succeeded by Eddie Stanky
Preceded by Gene Michael	Chicago Cubs Manager 1987	Succeeded by Don Zimmer