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Rick Manning

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Rick Manning
Center fielder
Born: (1954-09-02) September 2, 1954 (age 70)
Niagara Falls, New York, U.S.
Batted: Left
Threw: Right
MLB debut
May 23, 1975, for the Cleveland Indians
Last MLB appearance
October 4, 1987, for the Milwaukee Brewers
MLB statistics
Batting average.257
Home runs56
Runs batted in458
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Richard Eugene Manning (born September 2, 1954) is an American former center fielder and current broadcaster in Major League Baseball (MLB), who played for the Cleveland Indians (1975–1983) and Milwaukee Brewers (1983–1987), and has been a color commentator for Cleveland Guardians telecasts since 1990.

Major league career

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Manning, who was the second overall selection in the 1972 MLB draft,[1] made his major league debut with the Indians during the 1975 season. In 1976, he was recognized for his defensive play by winning the American League Gold Glove Award.[2]

Manning had an affair with teammate Dennis Eckersley's wife, Denise; they eventually married, and then divorced. This may have led to the Indians' front office's decision to trade one of the players; there were other "official" and "unofficial" reasons given.[3] Eckersley, a future Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher, was traded with Fred Kendall on March 30, 1978, to the Boston Red Sox for Rick Wise, Mike Paxton, Bo Díaz and Ted Cox.

After playing five more seasons with the Indians, Manning was traded along with Rick Waits to the Milwaukee Brewers for Gorman Thomas, Jamie Easterly and Ernie Camacho on June 6, 1983.[4] As a member of the Brewers, he hit a 10th-inning single on August 26, 1987 as the Brewers defeated the Indians 1-0.[2] Brewers fans actually booed Manning for driving in the winning run because Paul Molitor was on deck and looking to extend his 39-game hit streak. Manning's walk-off single deprived Molitor of one last chance to reach 40 games as he went 0-for-4 in the contest.

Career highlights

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On May 15, 1981, Manning caught Ernie Whitt's fly ball, the final out of Len Barker's perfect game, in one of the most memorable images in Cleveland sports history; the Indians defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 3-0.[5][6]

Broadcasting career

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Since 1990, he has served as a color commentator for Indians/Guardians telecasts. Manning has the longest tenure of any television announcer in team history.

Manning can be seen doing Guardians games on Bally Sports Great Lakes (alongside Matt Underwood). He resides in Chesterland, Ohio during the season, and Scottsdale, Arizona in the offseason.[7] He also occasionally provides color commentary on regional broadcasts for Major League Baseball on FOX, mainly when FOX shows a Guardians game.[8]

Awards

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Rick Manning Stats - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.
  2. ^ a b "Cleveland Indians at Milwaukee Brewers Box Score, August 26, 1987 - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.
  3. ^ "A Closer Who Needed A Save".
  4. ^ "Gorman Thomas dealt to Tribe," The Associated Press (AP), Tuesday, June 7, 1983. Retrieved May 29, 2016.
  5. ^ "Doc4dcc6fcdc29d2604024633.JPG (400x493 pixels)". morningjournal.com. Archived from the original on June 15, 2013. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  6. ^ [1][dead link]
  7. ^ "Broadcasters". Cleveland Indians. Archived from the original on March 10, 2007.
  8. ^ "2012 MLB on FOX Schedule". www.bflo360.com.
  9. ^ "MLB American League Gold Glove Award Winners - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.
  10. ^ [2][dead link]
  11. ^ "Manning wins award". Cleveland Plain Dealer. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
  12. ^ "Rick Manning, Gordon Gund head Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame 2017 inductees (photos)". Cleveland.com. September 15, 2017.
  13. ^ "2018 Emmy winners - Lower Great Lakes Emmy Awards" (PDF).
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