TENNESSEE— Former Boston Red Sox manager, John McNamara, passed away in Tennessee on Tuesday, July 28, as confirmed by his wife and nephew.

McNamara was born in Sacramento on June 4, 1932. He played as a catcher in high school and later signed with the St Louis Cardinals in 1951. He remained in the minor leagues for fifteen years as both a player and player-manager.

McNamara began his MLB career as a coach for the Oakland A’s in 1968 and within one season, became the team’s manager. He also coached for the San Francisco Giants and the California Angels. He went on to manage several teams between 1969 and 1996, including the A’s, the San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds, California Angels, Boston Red Sox, and Cleveland Indians. During his time with the Red Sox, he was able to take the team to the World Series of 1986, trying to win a title since their last World Series win in 1918. The team, however, blew a two-run, two-out, two-strike advantage in game 6, as well as a 3 run lead in game 7 and lost the title to the New York Mets.

He won American League manager of the year honors in 1986 while with the Red Sox. After managing the Angels in 1996, McNamara retired. He was 88 at the time of his death.