Former Indians managers Jeff Torborg, left, and Dave Garcia. Photo by Paul Tepley from the Cleveland Press Collection at the Michael Schwartz Library, Cleveland State University.

Dave Garcia, who managed the Cleveland Indians from July 1979 through the 1982 season, died recently in San Diego at the age of 97. He had been ill for quite some time.

Although he never played in the major leagues, Garcia was a minor-league infielder from 1939 to 1957. After his playing days were over, he served as a minor-league manager and a scout for several organizations. He managed the California Angels in parts of the 1977 and 1978 seasons.

After the Indians went through a mid-season slump in which the club played .333 ball over a 33-game span, the club fired manager Jeff Torborg on July 23, 1979. Garcia, who had been serving as the team’s third-base coach, was given the managerial job. The club responded well to the change, winning their first game under Garcia’s tenure, and winning the next nine games to boot. This gave the Indians their first ten-game winning streak since 1966, when they won the first ten games of the season. Once the streak ended, the 1979 Indians played .500 ball for the remainder of the season, finishing with a record of 81-80.

The most notable thing to happen during Garcia’s tenure as Tribe manager took place at Cleveland Municipal Stadium on May 15, 1981, when Indians pitcher Len Barker pitched a perfect game, beating the Toronto Blue Jays, 3-0. After the game, Barker was quoted as saying “I have to thank the Indians and Dave Garcia for this. They gave me the ball, made me a starter. They stuck with me.”

Despite the winning streak and the perfecto, though, the Indians were just a mediocre ball club during Garcia’s tenure. After the 1982 season, in which the team went 79 and 84, Garcia was dismissed and replaced by Mike Ferraro. During his three-plus years as Tribe manager, Garcia compiled a record of 247 wins and 244 losses.

Garcia’s grandson Greg Garcia is an infielder for the St. Louis Cardinals. According to mlb.com reporter Joe Trezza, the Garcia family will hold funeral services in November, after the baseball season has ended.

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