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Jim Lefebvre

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Jim Lefebvre
Second baseman / Third baseman / Manager
Born: (1942-01-07) January 7, 1942 (age 82)
Inglewood, California, U.S.
Batted: Switch
Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 12, 1965, for the Los Angeles Dodgers
Last MLB appearance
September 19, 1972, for the Los Angeles Dodgers
MLB statistics
Batting average.251
Home runs74
Runs batted in404
Managerial record417–442
Winning %.485
NPB statistics
Batting average.263
Home runs60
Runs batted in176
Teams
As player

As manager

Career highlights and awards

James Kenneth Lefebvre (/ləˈfiːvər/ lə-FEE-ver;[1] born January 7, 1942) is an American former major league baseball player, coach, and manager. An infielder, he was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent in 1962.

Baseball career

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Playing career

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Lefebvre was the 1965 National League Rookie of the Year; he hit .250 with 12 home runs and 69 RBI in 157 games, helping the Dodgers win the World Series.[2] In 1965, he was part of an infield for the Dodgers that consisted of four players who were switch hitters. The others were Jim Gilliam, Wes Parker, and Maury Wills. In 1966, Lefebvre batted .274 with 24 home runs and 74 RBI in 152 games.[2] He also started at second base in the 1966 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.[3]

Lefebvre also played four seasons in Japan, from 1973 until 1976, for the Lotte Orions.[4] Lefebvre became only the second player, after Johnny Logan, to have won a World Series (1965 Dodgers) and a Japan Series with the 1974 Lotte Orions.

He was a big-league manager from 1989 to 1993, and briefly again in 1999, and was formerly the hitting coach with the Cincinnati Reds.

Managerial and coaching career

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Lefebvre was first hired as a major league manager by the Seattle Mariners in November 1988, with a two-year contract at $150,000 annually, with incentives and a team option for a third year.[5] In his second season in 1990, Seattle won 77 games and drew over 1.5 million in home attendance at the Kingdome. In 1991, the Mariners posted their first-ever winning record at 83–79 (.512) and drew over 2.1 million, but Lefebvre's contract was not extended;[6] he was succeeded by assistant coach Bill Plummer.[7] Lefebvre finished with a record of 233 wins and 253 losses.[8] Lefebvre was soon hired by the Chicago Cubs in November,[9] and led them during the 1992 and 1993 seasons; he was released again after a posting a winning record, Chicago was 84–78 (.519) in the 1993 season.[10] With the Milwaukee Brewers, he was the interim manager for the final seven weeks of the 1999 season.[11]

In addition to managing, Lefebvre has spent time coaching in the Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics, Cincinnati Reds, and San Diego Padres organizations. He coached the China National Baseball Team (Olympics) in 2005, the 2006 World Baseball Classic, and 2008 Olympics.

Managerial record

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Team From To Regular season record Post–season record
G W L Win % G W L Win %
Seattle Mariners 1989 1991 486 233 253 .479 DNQ
Chicago Cubs 1992 1993 324 162 162 .500
Milwaukee Brewers 1999 1999 49 22 29 .431
Total 859 417 442 .485 0 0 0 –
Ref.:[8]
Lefebvre and President George W. Bush at the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games

Outside of baseball

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Lefebvre had roles on several television shows including Gilligan's Island and Batman. His role in Batman was of a henchman for the Riddler.[12] He is also a spokesman for Vemma vitamin supplements.

Personal life

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Lefebvre first married Jean Bakke from Waterford, WI and they had their son, Ryan, when Lefebvre was playing baseball in Japan after he was with the Dodgers, where he was rookie of the year in 1965. Lefebvre has a daughter, Brittany, who is currently working in Christian motion pictures. His son, Ryan, is the lead play-by-play announcer for the Royals on Bally Sports Kansas City. He has two other children, Bryce and Brianna Lefebvre.[12]

References

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  1. ^ Markusen, Bruce. "#CardCorner: 1989 Topps Jim Lefebvre | Baseball Hall of Fame". National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Jim Lefebvre Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  3. ^ "1966 All-Star Game Box Score, July 12". Baseball-Reference.com. July 12, 1966. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  4. ^ "Jim Lefebvre Minor, Winter & Japanese Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  5. ^ LaRue, Larry (November 8, 1988). "A's Lefebvre 8th manager for Mariners". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. McClatchey News Service. p. C1 – via Google News Archive.
  6. ^ LaRue, Larry (October 11, 1991). "Lefebvre gone as M's skipper". Spokane Chronicle. Washington. McClatchey News Service. p. C1 – via Google News Archive.
  7. ^ "Mariners call for Plummer". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. McClatchey News Service. October 30, 1991. p. D1 – via Google News Archive.
  8. ^ a b "Jim Lefebvre". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  9. ^ "Lefebvre makes pitch to turn Cubs around". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. November 23, 1991. p. C5 – via Google News Archive.
  10. ^ "Cubs seek Lefebvre reliever". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. October 7, 1993. p. C6 – via Google News Archive.
  11. ^ Olson, Drew (August 13, 1999). "Selig-Prieb pulls the trigger". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. p. 1C.
  12. ^ a b Krasovic, Tom (February 28, 2009). "'Put the ball in play' : New hitting coach Jim Lefebvre has some ideas to make the Padres more productive at the plate". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on March 6, 2009. Retrieved March 1, 2009.
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Preceded by Los Angeles Dodgers Hitting Coach
1979 		Succeeded by
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