A TO Z: L is for...

Lou Piniella, "Sweet Lou" the Bronx fan favorite and a steady contributor when the Yankees resumed their place among baseball's power teams during the late '70s and early '80s.

The Tampa native waited a long time for his chance to shine: originally signed by Cleveland, he bounced to the Senators and Orioles organizations, spending seven years in the minors before being taken by the Pilots in the 1969 AL expansion draft.  They flipped him to the Royals just before opening day, where he made history as the first batter in the club's first game -- as well as the first player on a first year club to be named Rookie of the Year.  Three more solid KC seasons were followed by an off-year in 1973 -- and a trade to the Yankees for Lindy McDaniel, in what proved to be one of New York's best deals of the decade.

An outfielder and DH on five Yankee division winners and two World Series champions, Piniella later managed the club and spent the first half of 1988 as GM before replacing Billy Martin as skipper.  Two years later, he managed the Reds to a huge October upset of the A's.  Later, he brought his winning touch to the Mariners and Cubs, leading each to division titles.

A .291 career hitter, he's a frequent guest at the Yankees Old Timers Day. That's where I snapped this photo, back in June 2016.


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