Former Phillies Manager, World Series Champion, Dies at 94
The Pittsburgh Pirates announced the death of Bob Skinner, whose life in baseball spanned 12 seasons as an outfielder and three more as a manager with the Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres. He was 94.
“We are saddened to relay the news of the passing of former Pirates outfielder and coach Bob Skinner,” the Pirates wrote on X on May 5. “Skinner was a member of the 1960 World Series Championship Pirates and a coach on the 1979 World Series Championship team. He made his Major League debut with the Bucs in 1954 and played nine of his 12 seasons in Pittsburgh.”
Skinner made the National League All-Star team three times in his career with the Pirates (1954-63). He finished his playing career with the Cincinnati Reds (1963-64) and St. Louis Cardinals (1964-66) before retiring.
As a coach, Skinner managed the Triple-A San Diego Padres, the Philadelphia Phillies’ affiliate in the Pacific Coast League from 1967-68.
When the Phillies fired manager Gene Mauch midway through the 1968 season, Skinner took over and finished out the season in the dugout. He returned in 1969, but was fired after going 44-64.
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Skinner would manage once more in MLB, as an interim replacement when the San Diego Padres fired Alvin Dark on May 29, 1977. He won his only game in the Padres’ dugout. It proved to be his last.
Skinner’s coaching career included stints with the Padres (1970-1973), Pirates (1974-1976), the Padres again (1977), the California Angels (1978), the Pirates again (1979-1985), and the Atlanta Braves (1986-1988).
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Skinner’s son, Joel, enjoyed a nine-year career in the majors as a catcher. When Joel Skinner was named the Cleveland Indians’ interim manager midway through the 2002 season, he and Bob Skinner became only the second father-son managerial duo in MLB history.
A native of La Jolla, California, just north of San Diego, Skinner served in the Korean War just prior to his debut with the Pirates. He retired with a career batting average of .277, 103 home runs, and 531 RBIs in the majors.
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This story was originally published May 5, 2026 at 2:10 PM.