Pete Mackanin
Date of Birth: 8/1/1951
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois
College: University of Illinois at Chicago
Pete Mackanin, former manager of the Philadelphia Phillies, started his baseball career back in 1969 when he was drafted as an infielder by the Washington Senators.
Playing Career
Mackanin played in the minor leagues from 1969 until 1973, when he was called up to the Texas Rangers (formerly known as the Senators). From 1973 through 1981, he played for the Rangers, Montreal Expos, Phillies, and Minnesota Twins. He finished his major league career with a .226 batting average and 355 hits in 548 games. Defensively, he was primarily an infielder, playing 340 games at second base and 107 games at shortstop.
In 1982, Mackanin returned to the minor leagues and played there through 1984.
Minor League Managing Career
After his playing days ended, Mackanin became a manager in the minor leagues. He managed teams in 1985, 1986, 1988 through 1996, 2001, 2002, and 2005 through 2007. His record as a minor league manager was 1,124 wins to 1,099 losses.
Coaching Career
Mackanin began coaching in the major leagues with the Expos in 1997. After four years with the Expos, he managed in the minors for two years but returned to coaching in 2003. From 2003 through 2005, he was a coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He left major league coaching in 2005 to once again manage in the minors through 2007. He joined the Phillies' coaching staff in 2009 and he stayed there through the 2012 season. He took a break from coaching in 2013, joining the New York Yankees as a scout. In 2014, he returned to the Phillies' coaching staff.
Major League Managing Career
In between his coaching and minor league managing years, Mackanin twice served as an interim manager in the major leagues. His first stint was with the Pirates in 2005. During that short period, he led the Pirates to 12 wins and 14 losses. He fared better in his second managerial try, as the Cincinnati Reds' interim manager in 2007. That time, he led the team to 41 wins and 39 losses.
On June 26, 2015, Mackanin was named the interim manager of the Phillies after the surprise and sudden resignation of Ryne Sandberg. The Phillies finished the 2015 season in last place in the National League East division with 37 wins to 51 losses under Mackanin's leadership (they had 26 wins and 48 losses with Sandberg).
The Phillies and Mackanin fared slightly better in 2016, finishing in fourth place in the NL East division. They had 71 wins to 91 losses.
Mackanin and the Phillies had a terrible season in 2017, finishing in last place in the NL East division with 66 wins and 96 losses. Mackanin and the Phillies decided that he would be replaced as manager on September 29, 2017. He continued in a front office position with the Phillies in 2018.
Mackanin's record as a major league manager for five years is 227 wins to 291 losses.
Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Pete Mackanin
ESPN - Pete Mackanin
Baseball Reference - Pete Mackanin