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Phil Garner 1949-2026 - Milwaukee Brewers Tribute Photo
Not long before Sunday’s game against the Nationals the Brewers learned that they’d lost a big part of their franchise history. Phil Garner, who spent almost half of the Brewers’ franchise history as their all-time winningest manager, passed away at the age of 76.
“Scrap Iron” Garner played 16 years in the majors as a member of five franchises but is perhaps best remembered for All Star seasons with the Athletics and Pirates and seven seasons in the ‘80s with the Astros. When he left Houston during the 1987 season, he was 16th in that franchise’s history with 753 games played and 659 hits and 12th with 337 runs scored.
Garner’s baseball life had a second act, however, and it was almost as long and arguably more impactful. He was still only 42 years old when he got his first opportunity to manage in the majors, having been hired by former teammate and Brewers general manager Sal Bando to take over the Brewers in 1992. Garner took over a team that was nearing the end of one of the most successful runs in franchise history, averaging 85 wins over a six year span and experiencing a few near misses with postseason berths (the 1987, 1988 and 1992 teams would all have made the playoffs under the current format).
Brewers’ Bad Turn ?
The Brewers won 92 games in Garner’s first season, but things took a sharp turn for the franchise not long thereafter. Before the 1993 season the Brewers slashed costs, letting future Hall of Famer Paul Molitor, starting pitcher Chris Bosio and reliever Dan Plesac leave via free agency. Garner’s teams for the rest of his tenure in Milwaukee were significantly less talented than his first one, and his seven consecutive losing seasons at the helm were the first of 12 straight for the Brewers franchise.
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Bando stuck with his friend and manager, however, and Garner was still only 48 years old when he won his 423rd game and passed predecessor Tom Trebelhorn as the Brewers’ all-time leader in managerial wins in 1997, a record he would hold until Craig Counsell claimed it in 2021. When Counsell passed Garner, the Brewers had played just 53 seasons in franchise history and Garner had held that record for portions of 25 of them. Following his time with the Brewers Garner went on to manage portions of seven more seasons with the Tigers and Astros and took Houston to the 2005 World Series. He’s one of just 63 men in AL/NL history to manage at least 2000 games.
If anything, however, the story of Garner’s tenure in Milwaukee is a useful lens for looking at just how far the organization has come since. For all but Garner’s first season in Milwaukee the Brewers were an afterthought in the standings and national consciousness. After Robin Yount’s 3000th hit in 1992 and retirement in the spring of 1994 the biggest headlines to come out of the Brewers clubhouse were often trade rumors and threats to move if a new ballpark wasn’t built to replace aging County Stadium. During Garner’s tenure the Brewers never had a player finish higher than tenth in their league’s MVP voting (Molitor finished tenth in 1992), never had a pitcher named on a single Cy Young Award ballot, never won a Gold Glove or a Silver Slugger Award and had a total of nine All Stars, one above the minimum.
Stark Contrast
Those years stand out in stark contrast to the current era of Brewers baseball. Over the last eight years the Brewers have had seven winning seasons, seven postseason appearances, an MVP, a Cy Young Award winner, four Gold Gloves (one Platinum Glove) and four Silver Slugger Awards. There were only seven All Star Games played over that span (the 2020 game was cancelled) but 15 players have represented the Brewers on those rosters, including six players to do it multiple times. Despite payroll constraints that have limited their options, the Brewers routinely punch above their weight class in terms of competitiveness and star power.
Given Garner’s legacy in franchise and MLB history Brewers fans would be well served to take a moment to look back on Garner’s career and the mark he left on the Brewers organization. While they’re looking, however, they’d be well served to also take a moment to consider how much better things have gotten in the decades since.
