MURRIETA, Calif. – Former Major League Baseball utility player Lenny Randle, who was known as “The Most Interesting Man in Baseball,” has died. He was 75.
Randle died Sunday at his home in Murrieta, California, his son Bradley announced Tuesday. Randle’s wife, Linda, asked that his cause of death not be publicly disclosed, according to AP.
Randle won the 1969 College World Series at Arizona State, where he also played football, before being drafted by MLB’s Washington Senators in the secondary phase of the 1970 amateur draft. He made his MLB debut for the Senators on June 16, 1971, and went on to play 12 seasons for the Texas Rangers, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs and Seattle Mariners.
RELATED:
2-time MLB World Series champ with Orioles, Reds, dies
Former MLB All-Star, AL home run champ, Indians 3B dies
The utility third baseman, second baseman and outfielder retired from MLB following the 1982 season, finishing his career with a .257 batting average, 27 home runs, 322 RBI, 156 stolen bases and a .656 OPS. However, it was off the field where Randle earned his nickname “The Most Interesting Man in Baseball” from Rolling Stone magazine.
For starters, Randle was also on the bench for the Senators’ final game on Sept. 30, 1971, when Washington led the Yankees 7-5 with two outs in the ninth inning. However, the Senators were forced to forfeit the game after heartbroken fans invaded the field at RFK Stadium.
Randle was also at second base during the infamous Ten Cent Beer Night riot in Cleveland on June 4, 1974. Just one week earlier, he was involved in a brawl with Cleveland pitcher Milt Wilcox, which resulted in bad blood between the two teams and sparked the Ten Cent Beer Night riot just days later.
On March 28, 1977, Randle punched Rangers manager Frank Lucchesi prior to a spring training game, which effectively ended his tenure in Texas. The dispute was over Randle losing his starting job at second base, after which he requested to be traded. Lucchesi sustained a triple fracture of his right cheekbone that required plastic surgery. Randle was traded to the Mets one month later, and in 1978 settled a civil lawsuit filed by Lucchesi.
In 1979, Randle was the roster player who replaced Yankees captain and catcher Thurman Munson following his death at age 32 on August 2, 1979.
Two years later, Randle famously dropped to his hands and knees to blow a slow roller from Kansas City Royals’ hitter Amos Otis into foul territory. However, umpire Larry McCoy ruled the play a hit after determining what Randle did as against the rules.
“I yelled at the ball foul. I didn’t blow it,” Randle told MLB Network in January 2024. Randle later served as a youth baseball coach, where he handed out T-shirts that read, “Don’t Blow It, Go to College,” per AP.
After being released by the Mariners in 1983, Randle moved to Italy and became the first American to play in the Italian Baseball league with Nettuno.
Randle attempted an MLB comeback at age 46 in 1995 and signed a minor-league contract with the California Angels, but didn’t appear in an MLB game.
Randle is survived by his wife, the former Linda Bradley; three sons, Bradley, Kumasi and Ahmad; and three grandchildren.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
