Former Dodgers Infielder, 3-Time MLB All-Star And Champion, Dies After Cancer Battle
The Los Angeles Dodgers were among the teams to trade for a 16-year MLB veteran who enjoyed notable personal and team success.
CHICAGO, IL - CIRCA 1987: Phil Garner #20 of the Los Angeles Dodgers bats against the Chicago Cubs during an Major League Baseball game circa 1987 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois. Garner played for the Dodgers in 1987. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) Getty Images Long-time fans of the Los Angeles Dodgers took notice when news surfaced on Sunday that Phil Garner, a 16-year MLB veteran, died at age 76 after a longstanding battle with cancer.
Garner earned three All-Star nods in his years with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Houston Astros, but he also played infield for the Dodgers during the 1987 penultimate season of his career. He logged 24 hits in 70 games for the Dodgers before becoming a free agent and joining the San Francisco Giants, then hanging up his spikes. Garner also enjoyed a three-team run as an MLB manager, starting with the Milwaukee Brewers, before joining the Detroit Tigers then returning to the Astros.
After winning an American League pennant as skipper with the Astros, Garner joined the Athletics as a special advisor. MORE FROM FORBES Blue Jays Veteran Offers 2-Word Response On Replacing George Springer After Injury By Peter Chawaga Former Los Angeles Dodgers Infielder Phil Garner ‘Never Lost His Signature Spark of Life’ In announcing his death, Garner’s family shared that he had been battling pancreatic cancer for more than two years. “Phil never lost his signature spark of life he was so well known for or his love for baseball which was with him until the end,” Garner’s family wrote in an announcement, according to MLB.
com . Garner grew up in Knoxville and attended the University of Tennessee before being drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 1970 draft. He chose to return to school and then was selected as the third overall pick by the Oakland Athletics in 1971.