Rene George Lachemann (born May 4, 1945 in Los Angeles, California) is a former coach, 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). In 2009, he began his second consecutive season as a coach with the Colorado Springs Sky Sox of the Pacific Coast League, AAA affiliate of the Colorado Rockies.

[edit] 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 Rockies' front office and a former pitcher, coach and manager in the major leagues, and Bill is a longtime skipper and instructor in the farm system of the Los Angeles Angels. Rene attended the University of Southern California before signing 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. 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.

[edit] 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 AAA 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 after only one season.

Lachemann then began his career as a major league coach, under John McNamara with the Boston Red Sox (1985-86) and La Russa in Oakland (1987-92). He was the A’s third-base coach during their three consecutive (1988-90) American League pennants (after he held the same post with 1986 AL champ Boston) and was a key member of La Russa’s highly regarded staff.

[edit] 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 3 ½ 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, and he since has 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. Including a one-game stint as interim pilot of the 2002 Cubs, Lachemann’s major league managing record is 428 wins, 560 losses (.433).

[edit] References

• Baseball-reference.com