Former Cubs manager Lou Piniella among Baseball Hall of Fame finalists
Former Cubs manager Lou Piniella is a finalist for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Brian KerseyAP
Former Cubs manager Lou Piniella is among the Baseball Hall of Fame finalists to be considered by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee.
The committee will meet during Major League Baseball’s winter meetings in Nashville, Tennessee. Results will be announced live at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 3 on MLB Network.
Four managers, two executives and two umpires are on the committee ballot, which features candidates whose primary contribution to the game came since 1980. The other finalists are Cito Gaston, Davey Johnson, Jim Leyland, Ed Montague, Hank Peters, Joe West and Bill White.
Piniella managed the Cubs from the 2007 through 2010 seasons. He also led the Yankees, Reds, Mariners and Rays over his 23-season career, winning 1,835 games — 17th on the all-time list.
The Cubs won the National League Central twice under Piniella, including a 97-win season in 2008 after which he was named NL Manager of the Year. The team was swept in the 2007 and 2008 NL Division Series.
He won a World Series with the 1990 Reds and led the 2001 Mariners to an American League record 116 wins. Overall, Piniella managed seven playoff teams and was named Manager of the Year in his league three times (1995, 2001, 2008). He spent 18 years as a player, batting .291 lifetime and winning two World Series with the Yankees in 1977 and 1978.
Any candidate who gets 75% of the committee’s vote will be inducted into the Hall in Cooperstown on July 21, 2024.