Baseball Hall of Famer Whitey Herzog has passed away at the age of 92. Known for his revolutionary style of play termed “Whiteyball,” Herzog led the St. Louis Cardinals to a World Series victory in 1982. His family announced that he died peacefully, surrounded by loved ones in Missouri, and described his passing as a blessing.
Herzog was born in Illinois in 1931 and started his Major League Baseball career with the Washington Senators in 1956. He played for the Kansas City A’s for three seasons and had stints with the Baltimore Orioles and the Detroit Tigers before retiring from playing in 1963. Herzog then moved into management, starting with the Texas Rangers in 1973, where he earned his first managerial victory against the Kansas City Royals.
He managed the California Angels and spent four years in Kansas before taking over the St. Louis Cardinals in 1980. During his decade with the Cardinals, Herzog developed his distinctive strategy of “Whiteyball,” which emphasized speed on the base paths, solid defense and pitching, and line drive hitting.
Herzog was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans’ Committee in 2009, and the Cardinals retired his jersey number, 24, in 2010. Rick Ankiel was the last player to wear the number for the Cardinals.
Herzog acquired his nickname “Whitey” early in his career due to his light blonde hair, which led a commentator to compare him to Yankees pitcher Bob “The White Rat” Kuzava.
Herzog married his high school sweetheart, Mary Lou, in 1953. He is survived by three children and lived in St. Louis until his death. His brother Butz played in Whitey’s first Cardinal lineup in 1980, and his grandson was a minor league first baseman and outfielder until 2010. Whitey was also inducted into the new Cardinal’s Hall of Fame Museum in 2014.
