WINTER HAVEN, Fla., July 21 (UPI) -- Ralph Houk, who won 1,619 games as a major league manager and led the New York Yankees to two World Series titles, died Wednesday, his family said. He was 90.
Houk's daughter, Donna Slaboden, said he died at his home in Winter Haven, Fla., The New York Times reported.
Houk managed Detroit and Boston in addition to the Yankees and worked in the front office of the Minnesota Twins before retiring from baseball 21 years ago.
"Ralph was a great baseball man who handled his players well and they played hard for him," said Hall of Famer Al Kaline, who played for Detroit from 1953-74. "He was well respected and a fun guy to be around.
"I enjoyed playing for him during my last year."
Houk was thrust into the spotlight when he replaced Casey Stengel as manager of the Yankees in 1961. New York was coming off a World Series loss to Pittsburgh thanks to a seventh-game homer by Bill Mazeroski.
New York won the World Series in each of Houk's first two years as manager and the Yankees reached the World Series again in 1963 before losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Houk left the Yankees after the 1973 season, then managed the Tigers from 1974-78 and the Red Sox from 1981-84. His career managerial record was 1,619-1,531.
He played in 91 major league games during the late 1940s and was New York's first base coach under Stengel for three seasons before taking over as manager.
