Ralph Houk Died at ninety Years :-(

Ralph Houk Former New York Yankees Manager died on Wednesday, the third significant death involving a longtime New York Yankee in 10 days. He was 90.

Ralph Houk’s death was announced by the Boston Red Sox, the third and final team Houk managed in the major leagues.
Houk’s death follows those of Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, 80,who died of a heart attack on July 13, just two days after longtime Yankees P.A. announcer Bob Sheppard passed away at the age of 99.
Red Sox spokesman Dick Bresciani said Houk died in Winter Haven, Fla. Scott Slaboden, Houk’s grandson, told the team in an email that Houk “died peacefully of natural causes after having a brief illness.”
Houk spent parts of eight seasons as a backup catcher for the Yankees, appearing in just 91 games. His playing career was interrupted by service during the Second World War.
He made his mark as a manager in the majors, winning 1,619 of 3,157 games over 20 seasons with the Yankees, Detroit Tigers and Red Sox.
Known as “The Major,” Houk won consecutive World Series with the Yankees in his first two years as a manager beginning in 1961, and won another American League pennant in 1963. He would not make it back to the postseason again as a manager.
The 1961 season was also famous for the chase of Babe Ruth’s home run record by Yankee teammates Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle. Maris would hit 61 home runs — one more than Ruth managed — with Mantle finishing with 54 homers.
“Sometimes when you have good players, you can mess it up and he didn’t do that,” said longtime Yankee Tony Kubek. “He didn’t overmanage. He was probably, more than a strategist, a handler of men.”
Houk would last 13 seasons with the Yankees, manager for 11 and general manager for two seasons in the mid-1960s.
Houk would resign as manager after the 1973 season, likely sparing him the fate to befall several future managers under George Steinbrenner, who had taken over as owner prior to that season.
Houk would manage the next nine seasons in the American League but never topped 90 wins again. He spent five years with the Detroit Tigers and four seasons with the Red Sox.
“Ralph was a great baseball man who handled his players well and they played hard for him,” Tigers Hall of Famer Al Kaline said in a statement released by the team. “He was well respected and a fun guy to be around. I enjoyed playing for him during my last year.