Former MLB player and manager Pat Corrales passed away yesterday. At the time of his passing, Corrales was a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers' front office as a special assistant to GM Brandon Gomes. No cause of death has been released. He was 82.
The Dodgers described Corrales as "a true baseball lifer." Corrales essentially spent his entire adult life in baseball. A standout at Fresno High Schoo, Corrales signed by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1959. He spent 9 seasons in MLB as a backup catcher with the Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds and the San Diego Padres. Despite those 9 seasons, Corrales only played in 300 career games which is not even two full seasons.
Of course, Corrales spent the majority of his playing career with the unenviable task of backing up Johnny Bench in Cincinnati. He did get one at bat in the 1970 World Series where he made the final out of the Fall Classic by grounding out to World Series MVP Brooks Robinson as the Reds fell to the Baltimore Orioles in five games.
After playing the 1974 season with the Padres Triple-AAA affiliate in Hawaii, he would get his first opportunity to manage the following season with the Alexandria Aces, the Padres AA-affiliate. In 1976, Corrales returned to the majors when he joined the coaching staff of the Texas Rangers under manager Billy Hunter. On the last day of the 1978 season, the Rangers fired Hunter and named Corrales the new manager. In so doing, Corrales became the first person of Mexican descent to manage a big-league club.
In 1979, Corrales guided the Rangers to a respectable 83-79 record finishing third in the AL West. However, the Rangers would fall to a 76-85 record in 1980 and new Rangers owner Eddie Chiles dismissed Corrales in favor of Don Zimmer.
Corrales would return to managing in 1982 with the Philadelphia Phillies. Midway through the 1983 season, despite being in first place in the NL East, Corrales was fired by Phillies GM Paul Owens who appointed himself manager. The gamble paid off as the Phillies won the NL pennant before losing to the Baltimore Orioles in five games in the World Series.
Two weeks after being dismissed by the Phillies, Corrales was hired by the Cleveland Indians replacing Mike Ferraro. Although the Tribe finished last in the AL East in '83, they treaded water going 30-32 in the final two months of the season. After back-to-back losing campaigns in 1984 and 1985, Corrales saw the Tribe in the winners' column in 1986 finishing third in the AL East with an 84-78 record. Sports Illustrated thought the Tribe could go all the way in 1987, but instead ended up losing 102 games with Corrales being dismissed in favor of Doc Edwards nearly four years to the day when the Phillies gave him his walking papers. In parts of 9 seasons as a manager, Corrales went 572-634.
Corrales spent one more season managing in 1988 this time at the Triple-AAA level with the Toledo Mud Hens, which then as now are affiliated with the Detroit Tigers. In 1989, Corrales returned to the majors transitioning from manager to coach. He began this transition with the New York Yankees before joining his old high school rival Bobby Cox with the Atlanta Braves in 1990.
Corrales saw post-season action every year between 1991 and 2005 as the Braves kept winning division title after division title first in the NL West and then in the NL East. He participated in five World Series in 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996 and 1999 earning a World Series ring in '95.
In 2007, Corrales joined the Washington Nationals where he would spend five seasons as a coach under three different managers - Manny Acta, Jim Riggleman and Davey Johnson. In 2012, Corrales moved up to the Nationals' front office as a Senior Assistant for Player Development. That season he briefly returned to managing when Harrisburg Senators manager Matt LeCroy went on paternity leave for a week. In 2013, Corrales was lured away to the Dodgers by team president Stan Kasten whom Corrales had known well during his days with both the Braves and Nationals.
Pat Corrales spent nearly 65 years working in baseball. I would call that a wonderful life. R.I.P.
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