Phil Garner
Phil Garner was an American baseball infielder and manager who won the 1979 World Series with the Pittsburgh Pirates and later managed multiple MLB teams.
Particulars
Born on April 30, 1949, in Jefferson City, Tennessee, Philip Mason Garner grew up in Rutledge and later attended the University of Tennessee on a baseball scholarship, where he excelled as a hitter and was named an All‑American in 1970.
Garner debuted in Major League Baseball in 1973 and became a three‑time All‑Star infielder, most famously contributing to the Pittsburgh Pirates' 1979 World Series championship, where he posted a .500 batting average in the series. He also played for the Oakland Athletics, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Francisco Giants before retiring in 1988.
After his playing days, Garner managed the Milwaukee Brewers, Detroit Tigers, and Houston Astros, leading the Astros to the 2005 World Series. He was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame and remained a respected figure in baseball until his death on April 11, 2026, after a battle with cancer at age 76.
Compiled from source reports and Wikipedia. Automated record.