I guess death really does come threes...Former Yankees player and manager, Ralph Houk, who won two world championships with the Yankees, died Wednesday at the age of 90.
Houk only had 158 at-bats over his eight year playing career, but he really made a name for himself over his 20 year managerial career. His first two years as a manager came in the historic 1961 season with the Yanks, as he led one of baseball's greatest teams to a championship. He and the Yankees won it all again in 1962, and then won the pennant in 1963 before Houk would be replaced by Yogi Berra in 1964.
Houk would manage the Yankees again from 1966-1973, but this time, thanks to an aging roster and poor ownership, had poor teams to work with and finished over .500 just four times and never won another pennant. He then moved on to Detroit and Boston until finishing up his managerial career in 1984.
According to his grandson, Scott Slaboden, Houk “died peacefully of natural causes after having a brief illness.”
