Bob Watson, who played on the Braves’ 1982 National League West division-winning team and later became the first black general manager to win a World Series with the New York Yankees in 1996, died. He was 74.
The Houston Astros, for whom Watson played his first 14 major league seasons, announced the death Thursday. The team didn’t provide details, but Watson’s son Keith wrote on Twitter that he died in Houston after a long battle with kidney disease.
“This is a very sad day for the Astros and for all of baseball,” the team said in a statement. “Bob Watson enjoyed a unique and remarkable career in Major League Baseball that spanned six decades, reaching success at many different levels, including as a player, coach, general manager and MLB executive.“
Watson, who was nicknamed “The Bull,” made the All-Star team in 1973 and ’75, hit over .300 four times and drove in at least 100 runs twice while hitting in the middle of the Astros’ lineup. He also holds the distinction of scoring the 1 millionth run in major league history, accomplishing the feat on May 4, 1975, against the San Francisco Giants at Candlestick Park.
Watson also became a big hit off the field for his cameo, along with several Astros teammates, in the 1977 comedy film “The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training.” In a key scene, Watson delivered the memorable line: “Hey, c’mon, let the kids play!”
He also played for Boston (1979), the Yankees (1980-82) and Atlanta Braves (1982-84), finishing with a .295 career batting average with 184 home runs, 989 RBIs and 1,826 runs scored while primarily playing first base and left field. Watson also hit .371 in 17 career postseason games. He was the first player to hit for the cycle in both leagues, accomplishing the feat for Houston in 1977 and Boston two years later.
Watson played his last two seasons with the Braves. He hit .264 with 13 home runs and 71 RBIs in this two-plus seasons.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Bob Watson,” the Braves said in a statement. “... We join the baseball world in mourning Bob’s passing and send our sincerest condolences to his family.”
After retiring from playing, Watson began coaching and helped the 1988 Oakland Athletics win the American League pennant as the hitting coach for the likes of Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire.
He became the second black general manager in major league history — after Atlanta’s Bill Lucas (1976-79) — when he was hired by the Astros in 1993.
Watson became the Yankees’ GM in 1995, and made the then-highly criticized decision to hire Joe Torre as New York’s manager. Watson, along with Torre leading the team on the field, helped put together the World Series-winning squad in 1996.
He retired from the Yankees after the 1997 season, and Brian Cashman replaced him as New York’s GM. Watson later served as Major League Baseball’s vice president in charge of discipline and vice president of rules and on-field operations and worked in the league offices until 2010.
“He was an All-Star on the field and a true pioneer off of it, admired and respected by everyone he played with or worked alongside,” the Astros’ statement said. “Bob will be missed, but not forgotten.”
Watson overcame prostate cancer after being diagnosed in 1994, and became an advocate for awareness and early detection. He often spoke at conferences and seminars about his experience, which he also discussed in his book “Survive To Win,” that was published in 1997. He dealt with other health problems in recent years, including kidney failure.
“I know that my dad has accomplished more than even he ever thought he would accomplish in life,” Keith Watson told Houston TV station Fox 26. “The legacy that he has left behind for us is one of giving, one of sharing, one of winning, and he doesn’t leave here not having done everything that he set out to accomplish in his life.”
Watson is also survived by his wife, Carol, and daughter, Kelley.
