The Boston Red Sox say former manager Ralph Houk has died. He was 90.
Red Sox spokesman Dick Bresciani (Bresh-ee-ah-nee) says Houk died in Winter Haven, Fla., on Wednesday afternoon. The team heard from Houk’s grandson, who lives in the Boston area. The cause of death was not immediately known.
Houk spent parts of eight seasons as a backup catcher for the New York Yankees, appearing in just 91 games. But he made his mark as a manager, managing 3,157 games and winning 1,619 over 20 seasons with the Yankees, Detroit Tigers and Red Sox.
He won the World Series in 1961 and ’62 with the Yankees in his first two years as a manager, and won another AL pennant the next season.