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Eddie Kasko was born in Elizabeth, NJ, on June 27, 1931. He attended Linden High School and after graduating in 1949, he signed a minor league contract with the New York Giants at only 17 years old. Before making his major league debut in 1957, he served two years during the Korean War from February 1952 to February 1954 with the United States Army Combat Engineers. Eddie appeared in 1,077 major league games from 1957-66 with the Saint Louis Cardinals (1957-58), Reds (1959-63), Houston Colt .45s/Astros (1964-65), and Red Sox (1966). A right-handed hitter, he batted .264 (935-for-3,546) with 22 home runs and 261 RBI. In 1961, Eddie played shortstop in the All-Star Game held at Fenway Park. Later that season, he led the Reds with seven hits in the World Series, as Cincinnati lost to the New York Yankees in five games. For the 1965 season, he served as the first team captain in the Houston Astros franchise’s history. Acquired by the Red Sox in April 1966, Eddie finished his playing career with the Sox that season, appearing in 58 games with the club. He remained in the organization to manage its Triple-A affiliate from 1967-69. In October, he was named manager of the major league club at only 38 years old. He led the Red Sox to a winning record in each of his four seasons with the club. He ranks ninth in franchise history in games managed (640); his .539 winning percentage (345-295) is tied with Joe Cronin for the fifth-highest among those who have managed at least 500 games with the Red Sox. Following his managing career, Eddie spent 21 years in the Red Sox’ front office as a scout (1974-77), Director of Scouting (1978-92), and Vice President of Baseball Development (1992-94). Elected to the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2010,Eddie Kasko passed away on June 20, 2020 at 89 years old. |
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