Baseball world mourns Pat Corrales
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José de Jesus Ortiz, Founder & Editor in Chief
- August 28, 2023
Pat Corrales was the first Mexican American manager in MLB history
Former big league catcher, coach and manager Pat Corrales, the first Mexican manager in Major League Baseball history, has died. He was 82 years old when he died on Sunday night.
The native of Fresno, Calif., played parts of nine seasons in the major leagues from 1964 through 1973 with the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals and San Diego Padres. Corrales made his debut in the majors with the Reds on Aug. 2, 1964. He played his final game in the majors on Sept. 21, 1973, with the San Diego Padres.
He joined the Texas Rangers’ coaching staff in 1976. Corrales then made history when the Rangers promoted him to manager on Oct. 1, 1978, becoming the first Mexican American manager in MLB history.
A mentor to many
He posted a 160-164 record as the Rangers’ manager. Corrales also managed the Philadelphia Phillies (1982-1983) and Cleveland Indians (1983-1987). He posted a 572-634 managerial manager.
“Sad to hear about the passing of Pat Corrales,” Hall of Famer Fergie Jenkins wrote on the social media site formerly known as Twitter. “We had quite a few battles on the field, Pat was a great guy, a great teammate, and a friend. My thoughts and prayers go out to the Corrales family.”
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The Phillies fired Corrales after 85 games in 1983. He wasn’t unemployed long, however. The Indians hired him for the final 62 games of the 1983 season.
He spent nine years as the bench coach with the Atlanta Braves for Hall of Fame manager Bobby Cox. Corrales also was a coach with the Yankees and Washington Nationals during his long career.
Ozzie Guillen, the first Latino manager to win a World Series title, thanked Corrales for the lessons he shared while he was a bench coach with the Braves.
“I was lucky to have you later in my career in Atlanta,” Guillen posted on social media. “You helped me turn my field leadership into coaching (and) then managing. We had good times.
“Hasta que no volvamos a ver. (Until we see each other again). We need More Pat Corrales in the Game. Thank you.”
Corrales finished his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers as a special assistant to the general manager from 2012 until his passing.
José de Jesus Ortiz
Founder & Editor in Chief
Award-winning writer José de Jesus Ortiz, a former lead sports columnist at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, has covered Major League Baseball since 1997 in Los Angeles, St. Petersburg, New York and Houston. He was the first Latino to serve as president of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
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