Wednesday, 04 December 2024

Lee MacPhail

Contest: The US Athletic Hall of Fame - Contributors 2024
Embed from Getty Images
Sport(s): Baseball Executive
Statistics: 1 The Sporting News Executive of the Year Award (1966)
Member of the Baseball Hall of Fame
Lee MacPhail was the son of Larry MacPhail, the boisterous former co-owner of the New York Yankees. When the elder MacPhail bought into the Yankees in 1945, his son Lee was hired in the front. Larry was forced out after the 1947 World Series due to his alcoholism, but Lee remained, working his way up to farm system director. MacPhail's personnel decisions helped the Yankees stay on top and win multiple World Series championships. Having proven himself a bona fide baseball mind, the Baltimore Orioles hired him as their general manager in 1959.

MacPhail ran the Orioles until 1965, and while he was not there in 1966, many of the moves he made led to Baltimore’s World Series win. MacPhail was back with New York as their general manager until 1973, rebuilding them back into contenders. Once the 1973 season concluded, MacPhail was elected as the fifth American League president.

MacPhail's steady hand helped keep baseball stable, and he oversaw the expansion into Seattle and Toronto in 1977. He also helped bring about an end to the 1981 strike that threatened to end the season. MacPhail resigned in 1983 and remained in the game for two more years as the chairman of the Player Relation Committee.

In 1998, MacPhail was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, joining his father, making them the only father-son duo in Cooperstown.

We are proud to nominate Lee MacPhail for the United States Athletic Hall of Fame.

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