Last manager to win World Series for Pittsburgh Pirates expires
Pirate fans will be looking up at the sky for a sign of Chuck Tanner’s blessing.
The former manager recently expired and that has created a sense of mourning in the city that hasn’t gone to the playoffs since 1979.
Major League Baseball lost one of its key figures in Tanner when he passed away at the age of 82. The iconic figure with the Pirates was more than an exceptional character at the club.
He was an inspirational leader and his influence knew no bounds. Tanner had led the Pirates to a World Series victory in 1979 and that’s an accomplishment that hasn’t been duplicated till this day.
What really defined Tanner’s character was the way he carried the Pirates to the World Series triumph after trailing in the series.
Chuck had lost his mother before game 5 of the tournament against the Baltimore Orioles. To carry the death of his mother with the all important task of winning the series was inhuman by all counts. When the club was trailing the Orioles by a game to three,
Tanner said one of the most cherished lines to his squad.
"My mother is a great Pirates fan. She knows we're in trouble, so she went upstairs to get some help".
Tanner had the loving personality of a parent and he’d always create an emotional bond with the players.
"When things were going well, they didn't need you. But when the guys were going bad, I'd hug them", Tanner said, smiling.
Tanner was a great follower of baseball and when he managed the Pirates, he drove the club hard to the top. Prior to the 1979 World Series victory, Tanner had led the club to second place positions in the National League in the two previous years, leading
up to the major one.
"Everyday was a great day," he said. "When we won, we beat the greatest players in the world. The second greatest thing was that you lose because you've had the chance to play against the best players in the world".
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