Gene Clines American Baseball Player (1946-2022)

Gene Clines American Baseball Player (1946-2022), Find a Grave Gene Clines Grave Find, Gene Clines dead at 75, Gene Clines buried, Gravesite, Burial

Gene Clines Find a Grave

He played the outfield position for Major League Baseball’s Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Mets, Texas Rangers, and Chicago Cubs from 1970 to 1979. After graduating from Harry Ells High School in Richmond, California in 1966, he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He debuted with the Pirates in 1970 as a reserve outfielder and went on to play for them for the next five years.

On September 1, 1971, he played in the first all-minority lineup in MLB history. He also played for the Pirates during their successful 1971 World Series run. Over the final five seasons of his career, he played primarily as a pinch-hitter and utility outfielder for the Mets, Rangers and Cubs. During his career, his statistics included a .277 batting average with 645 hits, 5 home runs, and 187 RBIs.

After his playing career, he served in coaching roles for the Cubs, Astros, Mariners, Brewers and Giants, and most recently as a Minor League advisor to the Dodgers.

Gene Clines American Baseball Player dead at 75

Show More

Gene Clines Full Biography

Gene Clines  was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder from 1970 to 1979, most notably as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates teams that won four National League Eastern Division titles in five seasons between 1970 and 1974, and won the World Series in 1971.

He also played for the New York Mets, Texas Rangers, and the Chicago Cubs. He batted and threw right-handed. After his playing career, Clines served as a coach for various clubs, including the Cubs, Houston Astros, Seattle Mariners, Milwaukee Brewers, and San Francisco Giants, and an advisor with the Los Angeles Dodgers later in his career.

Playing career

Clines attended Harry Ells High School in Richmond, California. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Clines in the sixth round of the 1966 MLB draft.

A fast runner with excellent defensive skills, Clines debuted in 1970 with the Pittsburgh Pirates as a reserve outfielder, hitting .405 (15-for-37) in 31 games in his rookie year. On September 1, 1971, Clines played in MLB’s first ever all-minority batting lineup.



Clines went to the postseason with Pittsburgh in the 1971, 1972 and 1974 National League Championship Series, winning a World Series ring with the Pirates in 1971. His most productive season came in 1972, when he posted career-highs in average (.334), doubles (15), and triples (6) in 107 games.

After the 1974 season, the Pirates traded Clines to the New York Mets for Duffy Dyer. After the 1975 season, the Mets traded him to the Texas Rangers for Joe Lovitto. Before the 1977 season, the Rangers sent Clines to the Chicago Cubs as the player to be named later in the earlier trade for Darold Knowles. The Cubs released Clines in May 1979. He batted .277 in ten major league seasons.

Coaching career

Clines remained with the Cubs as a coach. He stayed on Chicago’s coaching staff until 1981, and then joined the Houston Astros organization as a roving minor league hitting instructor, a position he held through 1987. Later he worked as a hitting coach for Houston in 1988. The Seattle Mariners hired Clines as their hitting coach before the 1988 season. He spent six seasons as a hitting coach for the Mariners, and was fired after the 1992 season. He was the hitting coach for the Milwaukee Brewers in 1993 and 1994 before joining the San Francisco Giants as a minor league hitting coordinator. After the 1996 season, the Giants promoted him to be their major league hitting coach.



After the 2002 season, Giants’ manager Dusty Baker was hired to manage the Cubs. Baker brought Clines to Chicago with him as his first base coach. He was named hitting coach prior to the 2005 season. Baker was fired after the 2006 season, and his coaching staff was dismissed with him.

The Los Angeles Dodgers hired Clines as their roving outfield and base-running instructor in October 2006; he convinced Juan Pierre to sign with the Dodgers the next month. After the 2011 season, he was promoted to the position of senior advisor for player development with the Dodgers.

Gene Clines Personal life and Death

Clines and his ex-wife, Fay, had three children. Clines died at his residence in Bradenton, Florida, on January 27, 2022, at the age of 75.