Phil Garner, three-time All-Star and legendary Astros manager, dies

"Phil Garner passed away peacefully last night, April 11, surrounded by family and love after a two-plus-year battle with pancreatic cancer," his family said in a statement.

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Williams Perdomo

13 de abril, 2026

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Phil Garner, a three-time All-Star and legendary manager of the Astros in their first World Series appearance, died at 76. The information was confirmed by his family.

"Phil Garner passed away peacefully last night, April 11, surrounded by family and love after a two-plus-year battle with pancreatic cancer," his family said in a statement reported by the official MLB website.

In that sense, the family highlighted that "Phil never lost his signature spark of life he was so well known for or his love for baseball which was with him until the end. Special thanks to the Houston Medical Center, MD Anderson, Baylor St. Lukes and all the Doctors and Nurses for their excellent care and support."

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Garner was detected with pancreatic cancer in February 2024, after which he spent more than two years undergoing various chemotherapy and radiation treatments. On April 30, 2025, his 76th birthday, the Astros paid him a final tribute by inviting him to throw out the starting pitch before a game.

"He was competitive. He was honest. He told you the truth. He made you accountable -- all the great things that leaders do," said Hall of Fame starter Jeff Bagwell. "I think Gar just did a tremendous job of that. You could see how much he cared about his players, cared about winning and our organization. It was just a pleasure to play for him and be his friend."

Life of Philip Mason Garner

Philip Mason Garner was born on April 30, 1949, in Jefferson City, Tenn. He was the son of a Baptist preacher and spent his childhood in nearby Rutledge. After his sophomore year of high school, he moved to Knoxville with the intention of earning a baseball scholarship.

He earned a scholarship to the University of Tennessee, where he was a two-time All-SEC selection with the Volunteers. In 2009, the team retired his No. 18. Although he was selected by the Expos in the eighth round of the 1970 draft, he never signed; the Athletics subsequently picked him with the third overall selection in the secondary draft in January 1971.

He made his major league debut with the Athletics in 1973, during the period when Oakland won three consecutive World Series between 1972 and 1974.

Known as "Scrap Iron" for his simple, hard-nosed style of play, Garner had a 16-season career as a Major League Baseball player with the Oakland Athletics (1973-76), Pittsburgh Pirates (1977-81), Astros (1981-87), Los Angeles Dodgers (1987) and San Francisco Giants (1988).