Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl
Hall of Fame manager Sparky Anderson has died, his family announced Wednesday. He was 76.
Anderson, who managed the Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers to World Series titles, died as a result of complications from dementia, family spokesman Dan Ewald said in a statement.
His death came a day after the family announced he had been placed in hospice care at his home.
Anderson won 2,194 games as a manager, which was the third-highest total in major league history when he retired, trailing Connie Mack and John McGraw. He now stands sixth, also trailing Tony La Russa, Bobby Cox and Joe Torre.
Anderson was the first manager to win World Series titles in both leagues and the only manager to lead two franchises in career wins.
He led Cincinnati’s Big Red Machine to World Series wins in 1975-76. He won four National League pennants in Cincinnati from 1970-78 and then was fired after consecutive second-place finishes.
Anderson went to the American League and won there, too, directing the Tigers to a World Series title in 1984 and a division title in 1987. He retired after the 1995 season and was added to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee.
Former Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda said Wednesday that when he saw Anderson at the annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony in August, it was obvious something was wrong.
“He looked bad,” Lasorda said. “He was really down. He was very sickly, and we had to take him off the stage. And then I called him about 10 days ago because I was thinking about him. We spoke, but I didn’t want to speak too long because he sounded exhausted, you know? We talked for maybe eight or 10 minutes, and he thanked me for thinking of him, and that was it.”
Anderson is survived by his wife, Carol; three children and nine grandchildren.