On Thursday, the Phillies issued a statement mourning the loss of former manager Lee Elia, who passed away on July 9 at the age of 87. Elia was just days away from celebrating his 88th birthday on July 16.
“The Phillies mourn the loss of Lee Elia, who managed the club from 1987-88,” the team said in a statement posted on social media. “Elia was a valued contributor to the Phillies for much of his half century in professional baseball. The third base coach for the 1980 World Series championship team, he also spent time in the organization as a minor league player, manager, scout and director of instruction.”
Elia also managed the Chicago Cubs during the 1982 and 1983 seasons. The Cubs, too, shared a statement on social media expressing their condolences following news of his passing.
“The Chicago Cubs organization joins the rest of the baseball world in mourning the recent passing of Lee Elia. Elia’s long career within professional baseball included time as both a Cubs player (1968) and manager (1982-83) — a stint that began his over 30-year major league coaching career.”
Over four seasons as a manager, Elia compiled a 238–300–1 record.
In addition to his time with the Phillies and Cubs, Elia held a variety of coaching and other roles across MLB from 1980 through 2008. This included work with the Seattle Mariners (1993–1997, 2001–2002, 2008), as well as stints with the New York Yankees (1989), Toronto Blue Jays (2000), Tampa Bay Rays (2003–2005), and Baltimore Orioles (2006).
A Philadelphia native, Elia graduated from Olney High School and went on to play baseball at the University of Delaware before signing his first professional contract in 1958 as a free-agent minor leaguer with the Phillies.
Elia reached the majors as a player with both the Chicago White Sox (1966) and Chicago Cubs (1968). Over 95 Major League games, he hit .203 with three home runs and 25 RBIs.
Elia was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 2003, a testament to his long and impactful career in baseball.
Also in their statement, the Phillies highlighted Elia’s enduring bond with the organization,“Affiliated with 10 different organizations throughout his distinguished career, he always considered himself a Phillie at heart.”
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