Phil Garner, former Brewers manager, dies at age 76

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7 Apr 1998: Manager Phil Garner of the Milwaukee Brewers in action during a game against the Montreal Expos at County Stadium in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Brewers defeated the Expos 6-4. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Kirn /Allsport

MILWAUKEE - Phil Garner, who managed the Milwaukee Brewers from 1992-1999, died on Saturday night at the age of 76.

The Milwaukee Brewers issued the following statement:

"The Brewers are saddened to learn of the passing of former manager Phil Garner. Following a distinguished playing career, Phil served as our manager from 1992-99 and went on to manage the second-most games in franchise history. He was a very highly respected and beloved individual who was known for his caring nature, wisdom and sense of humor. Our deepest condolences go out to Phil's wife, Carol, and all of his family, friends and fans."

Phil Garner's career

What we know:

He was one of the most aptly nicknamed players in baseball history: "Scrap Iron."

Phil Garner spent sixteen seasons as a major leaguer, making three All-Star teams and consistently getting the most of his ability.

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His old Oakland teammate Sal Bando hired him to become the manager of the Brewers starting with the 1992 season, which turned out to be the most successful of his seven-plus seasons in that job. The Brew Crew finished second to the Blue Jays in the American League East division and the skipper finished second in manager of the year voting.

Garner didn't lose any of his scrappiness in his post-playing days and stood up for his players on multiple occasions, endearing himself to Brewers fans. He was let go by Milwaukee during the 1999 season before going on to lead the Tigers and the Astros. In fact, he took Houston to the 2005 world series.

Phil Garner's statistics

By the numbers:

Garner managed 1,180 games with the Brewers before going on to skipper the Detroit Tigers (2000-02) and Houston Astros (2004-07). He guided Houston to its first-ever World Series appearance in 2005.

The former infielder and three-time All-Star enjoyed 16 seasons in the Major Leagues with the Oakland Athletics (1973-76), Pittsburgh Pirates (1977-81), Houston Astros (1981-87), Los Angeles Dodgers (1987) and San Francisco Giants (1988).

He posted a career batting average of .260 with 109 HR, 738 RBI and 225 stolen bases in 1,860 games.

He started 146 games (76g at 2B, 62g at 3B, 8g at SS) for the 1979 World Series champion Pirates. He batted .472 (17-for-36) with 1 HR and 6 RBI in 10 postseason games that October, all starts at second base.