Rene Lachemann

Rene Lachemann
Lachemann as a first base coach for the Colorado Rockies in 2013
Colorado Rockies – No. 38
Catcher / Manager / Coach
Born: (1945-05-04) May 4, 1945 Los Angeles, California
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
May 4, 1965, for the Kansas City Athletics
Last MLB appearance
June 8, 1968, for the Oakland Athletics
MLB statistics
Batting average	.210
Home runs	9
Runs batted in	33
Games managed	988
Win–loss record	428–560
Winning %	.433
Teams
As player Kansas City/Oakland Athletics (1965–1966, 1968) As manager Seattle Mariners (1981–1983) Milwaukee Brewers (1984) Florida Marlins (1993–1996) Chicago Cubs (2002)

Rene George Lachemann (born May 4, 1945 in Los Angeles, California) is an American professional baseball coach and a former catcher and manager in Major League Baseball. Lachemann served as the first manager in the history of the Florida Marlins (1993–96) and also skippered the Seattle Mariners (1981–83) and Milwaukee Brewers (1984). Since 2013, he has served as a coach for the Colorado Rockies on the staff of manager Walt Weiss.

Early connections with LaRussa, Duncan

The son of a hotel chef, he is the youngest of three brothers to enjoy long careers in professional baseball: Marcel Lachemann is a member of the Los Angeles Angels' front office and a former pitcher, coach and manager in the Major Leagues, and Bill is a longtime skipper and instructor in the Angels' farm system. Rene served as a batboy for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1959 to 1962, graduated from Dorsey High School, and attended the University of Southern California. He signed a bonus contract with the Kansas City Athletics in 1964, where he joined other young players such as Tony La Russa and Dave Duncan, with whom he would have a lasting professional association.

Lachemann, a right-handed hitter, played only one full season in the Major Leagues, 1965, batting .227 with nine home runs and 29 runs batted in and appearing in 92 games played. He reappeared briefly—in 26 total games—for the A’s in 1966 and 1968, but spent the rest of his playing career in minor league baseball. His Major League batting average was .210 in 281 at bats. His initial appearance in the big leagues resulted in getting picked off second base.

Manager in Seattle and Milwaukee

He began managing in the Oakland Athletics' farm system in 1973, and switched to the Seattle organization five years later. On May 6, 1981, Lachemann was promoted from Triple-A to succeed Maury Wills as the M’s manager. But during the equivalent of almost two full seasons, Seattle was only able to win 140 of 320 games (.437) and was in the midst of an eight-game losing streak when Lachemann was fired on June 25, 1983 and replaced by Del Crandall. He returned the following year as manager of the contending Brewers, but the 1984 Milwaukee club collapsed (67–94, .416 and last in the American League East Division) and he was fired with three games remaining to be played in the season, though he was allowed to complete the season as the Brewers' skipper.

Lachemann then began his career as a Major League coach, under John McNamara with the Boston Red Sox (1985–86) and La Russa with the Oakland Athletics (1987–92). He was the third-base coach with Boston's 1986 American League champions and the Athletics during their three consecutive (1988–90) American League pennants and was a key member of La Russa’s highly regarded staff.

First Marlins' skipper

As a result, he was chosen as the Marlins’ first manager when they entered the National League in 1993. But the expansion club suffered through 3½ losing seasons, compiling a mark of 221–285 (.437), before Lachemann’s dismissal on July 7, 1996.

He returned to the coaching ranks the following season, on La Russa’s staff with the St. Louis Cardinals, then coached for the Chicago Cubs and the Mariners, before returning to Oakland in 2005 for three years as bench coach and third base coach. His contract was not renewed at the close of the 2007 season. From 2008 to 2012 he served as hitting coach for the Colorado Springs Sky Sox before being added to the Rockies' MLB staff by Weiss for the 2013 season.

Including a one-game stint as interim pilot of the 2002 Cubs, Lachemann’s major league managing record is 428 wins, 560 losses (.433).

Managerial record

Team	From	To	Regular season record			Post–season record
			W	L	Win %	W	L	Win %
Seattle Mariners	1981	1983	140	180	.438	—
Milwaukee Brewers	1984	1984	67	94	.416
Florida Marlins	1993	1996	221	285	.437
Chicago Cubs	2002	2002	0	1	.000
Total			428	560	.433	0	0	–
Reference:

See also

• List of St. Louis Cardinals coaches

External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
• Rene Lachemann managerial career statistics at Baseball-Reference.com
• Retrosheet
• Venezuelan Professional Baseball League

Sporting positions
Preceded by John Felske	Spokane Indians Manager 1979–1981	Succeeded by Ken Pape
Preceded by Maury Wills	Seattle Mariners Manager 1981–1983	Succeeded by Del Crandall
Preceded by Harvey Kuenn	Milwaukee Brewers Manager 1984	Succeeded by George Bamberger
Preceded by Eddie Yost	Boston Red Sox third base coach 1985–1986	Succeeded by Joe Morgan
Preceded by Dave McKay	Oakland Athletics first base coach 1987–1988	Succeeded by Dave McKay
Preceded by Jim Lefebvre	Oakland Athletics third base coach 1989–1992	Succeeded by Tommie Reynolds
Preceded by Franchise established	Florida Marlins Manager 1993–1996	Succeeded by Jim Leyland
Preceded by Tommie Reynolds	St. Louis Cardinals third base coach 1997–1999	Succeeded by José Oquendo
Preceded by Billy Williams	Chicago Cubs bench coach 2000–2002	Succeeded by Dick Pole
Preceded by Don Baylor	Chicago Cubs Manager 2002	Succeeded by Bruce Kimm
Preceded by John McLaren	Seattle Mariners bench coach 2003–2004	Succeeded by Ron Hassey
Preceded by Chris Speier	Oakland Athletics bench coach 2005	Succeeded by Bob Geren
Preceded by Brad Fischer	Oakland Athletics first base coach 2006	Succeeded by Tye Waller
Preceded by Ron Washington	Oakland Athletics third base coach 2007	Succeeded by Tony DeFrancesco
Preceded by Glenallen Hill	Colorado Rockies first base coach 2013	Succeeded by Eric Young
Preceded by n/a	Colorado Rockies catching coach 2014–	Succeeded by Incumbent