Lee MacPhail, who had been the oldest living member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, has died at age 95, the American sporting shrine announced on its website Friday.
MacPhail died of natural causes at his home in Delray Beach, Florida, after celebrating his birthday with family and friends two weeks ago. He had been elected to the Hall of Fame in 1998 after more than 50 years as an executive.
“Baseball history has lost a great figure in Lee MacPhail, whose significant impact on the game spanned five decades,” Hall of Fame chairman Jane Forbes Clark said.
“As a Hall of Fame executive, Lee developed one of the game’s strongest farm systems for the New York Yankees before serving as American League president for 10 years. He will always be remembered in Cooperstown as a man of exemplary kindness and a man who always looked after the best interests of the game.”
MacPhail was the son of another Hall of Fame executive, Larry MacPhail, making them the only father-son duo in the Hall of Fame.
Starting in 1949 with the Yankees, MacPhail served as player personnel director for a decade, constructing a talent development system that contributed to seven World Series titles and nine American League crowns during his time with the club.
He became general manager of the Baltimore Orioles in 1959, building a squad that would win the World Series in 1966. He served as the Yankees general manager from 1967 to 1973.
As president of the American League from 1974 to 1983, MacPhail oversaw the development of the designated hitter rule, having batters replace pitchers in the lineup, and guided the addition of clubs in Seattle and Toronto.
MacPhail, oldest living Hall of Famer, dies at 95
