Charlie Manuel
World Series-winning manager of the Philadelphia Phillies and former NPB MVP.
Charles Fuqua Manuel Jr. (born January 4, 1944) is an American former professional baseball player, coach, and manager. During his playing career, he appeared over parts of six Major League Baseball (MLB) seasons for the Minnesota Twins and Los Angeles Dodgers, before playing another six seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball with the Yakult Swallows and Kintetsu Buffaloes. Over four successive seasons in NPB, Manuel hit at least .312 with 37 home runs each season and won the 1979 Pacific League Most Valuable Player Award. After his playing career, he coached and managed the Cleveland Indians and managed the Philadelphia Phillies, winning the 2008 World Series over the Tampa Bay Rays and the 2009 National League Championship Series over the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was inducted to the Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame in 2014.
Quick Facts
- Role
- Manager
- Affiliation
- Philadelphia Phillies
- Tenure start
- 2005
- Tenure end
- 2013
- World series titles
- 1 (2008)
- League championships
- 2 (2007, 2008)
- Status
- Legend of the Franchise
Lore & Background
Manuel was born in an automobile in Northfork, West Virginia, while his family was actually living in Virginia. His father, Charles Sr., was a Pentecostal preacher, and the family lived in Wythe and Grayson Counties in Virginia until they settled in Buena Vista, Virginia, when Charlie was 12. He became a four-sport star at Parry McCluer High School. In April 1963, his father died by suicide due to severe illness. Manuel turned down basketball scholarship offers and an academic scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania, signing with the Minnesota Twins out of high school for $30,000. In Japan, he was dubbed 'Aka-Oni' (The Red Devil) and also nicknamed 'Uncle Chuck'. In 1979, he was hit by a pitch that broke his jaw in six places; he returned to play that season wearing a helmet with a football facemask, and won the home run title and MVP. He learned to speak Japanese during his time in Japan.
Reader's Guide
Manuel managed the Philadelphia Phillies, winning the 2008 World Series over the Tampa Bay Rays and the 2009 National League Championship Series over the Los Angeles Dodgers. On August 13, 2019, he replaced John Mallee as hitting coach for the Phillies for the remainder of the season.
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