Sparky Anderson, the first major league manager to win a World Series in both the American and National Leaguesdied Thursday of complications from dementia, according to a statement released Thursday from his family.
Anderson was 76.
The white-haired “Captain Hook,” whose once-startling tendency to yank pitchers early and often is now considered routine practice, had a career in two acts: the first with the Cincinnati Reds in their Big Red Machine era, when the team won the 1975 and 1976 World Series; and the second with the Detroit Tigers, where he remains the manager with the longest tenure and most victories. He guided the Tigers to a World Series victory in 1984.
