World Series champ Phil Garner dead at 76 after cancer battle

Phil Garner, a erstwhile MLB All-Star and World Series champion, has died, his household said connected Sunday. He was 76.

Garner died Saturday aft battling pancreatic crab for much than 2 years, his household said.

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Tim Foli and Phil Garner, members of the 1979 World Championship Pittsburgh Pirates, be a pre-game ceremonial honoring the team's accomplishment earlier a crippled against the Philadelphia Phillies successful Pittsburgh connected July 20, 2019. (Gene J. Puskar/AP)

"Phil ne'er mislaid his signature spark of life," Ty Garner, Phil’s son, said successful a statement. "He was truthful good known for his emotion for baseball, which was with him until the end."

The Oakland Athletics selected Garner successful the archetypal circular of the MLB Draft’s secondary signifier successful 1971. He was called up much than 2 years later, making his large league debut successful September 1973.

Garner played 4 seasons with the A’s, earning his archetypal All-Star enactment successful 1976 earlier helium was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates successful the offseason anterior to the 1977 season. He was past traded to the Houston Astros successful August 1981.

The versatile infielder earned 2 much All-Star selections portion helium was with the Pirates. He helped the squad to a World Series rubric successful 1979 against the Baltimore Orioles. He deed .500 successful the seven-game bid against Baltimore. He had 4 doubles and 5 RBI.

Houston Astros' Phil Garner scores the winning tally arsenic Luis Pujols greets him successful the 11th inning of Game 2 of the National League West playoffs against the Los Angeles Dodgers successful Houston connected Oct. 7, 1981. (F. Carter Smith/AP)

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"Phil Garner was a fierce competitor, a respected leader, and a cherished portion of the Pirates family," Pirates president Bob Nutting said successful a statement. "His contributions to the 1979 World Series title squad volition everlastingly beryllium portion of Pirates history. We ever appreciated welcoming Phil backmost to Pittsburgh, and it was evident however profoundly this city, this team, his teammates, and our fans meant to him.

"He volition beryllium remembered not lone for the grit, passion, and bosom helium brought to the game, but besides for the mode helium carried himself arsenic a devoted household antheral and respected subordinate of the shot community."

He played portion of the 1987 play with the Los Angeles Dodgers and past played 15 games for the San Francisco Giants earlier his playing vocation was finished.

Garner was a beingness .260 hitter with 109 location runs and 738 RBI.

He made his MLB managerial debut with the Milwaukee Brewers successful 1992 and managed them until 1999. He past managed the Detroit Tigers from 2000 to 2002.

Pirates subordinate Phil Garner dives for a shot deed by Al Bumbry of the Baltimore Orioles during the 5th inning of the 3rd crippled of the World Series successful Pittsburgh connected Oct. 12, 1979. (AP Photo)

Garner had large occurrence managing the Astros. He was their skipper from 2004 to 2007, guiding them to their archetypal World Series quality successful 2005 – lone to suffer to the Chicago White Sox.

He was 985-1,054 arsenic a manager.

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"He was a precise highly respected and beloved idiosyncratic who was known for his caring nature, contented and consciousness of humor," the Brewers added.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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