MURIETA, Calif. (AP) – A 12-season major leaguer who spoke five languages, performed stand-up comedy, was called “the funniest man in baseball,” and punched the Texas Rangers manager. Lenny Randle, who was suspended for playing the game, has died. He was 75 years old.
Randle died Sunday at his home in Murrieta, Calif., one of his sons, Bradley, announced Tuesday. Mr. Randle’s wife, Linda, asked that the cause of death not be made public, Mr. Bradley said.
Randle helped Arizona State win the 1969 College World Series, where he also played football. He was selected 10th overall by Washington in the second round of the 1970 amateur draft and made his Senators debut on June 16, 1971. He got his first hit with an infield hit against Vida Blue.
He batted .257 with 27 home runs and 322 hits for the Senators/Rangers (1971-76), New York Mets (1977-78), New York Yankees (1979), Chicago Cubs (1980), and Seattle Mariners. Recorded RBI and 156 stolen bases (1981-82).
However, he is known more for a series of moments than for his on-field accomplishments, being dubbed “Baseball’s Most Interesting Man” by Rolling Stone magazine and having that title used in a 2015 MLB Network documentary. Ta.
In 1971, Randle was on the bench for the Senators’ final game when fans stormed the field. In 1974, he collided with Cleveland pitcher Milt Wilcox, bunting to right to spark a scuffle in retaliation for a pitch thrown behind him. He was at second base during the Tencent Beer Night Riots in Cleveland later that season. When the power went out at Shea Stadium on July 13, 1977, he stood in the batter’s box to face Ray Burris of the Chicago Cubs. After the death of catcher Thurman Munson in August 1979, he replaced him with the Yankees. On May 27, 1981, he famously hit Amos Ortiz’s bunt foul on all fours, but umpire Larry McCoy ruled it a violation of the rules and called it a hit.
“I screamed for a foul on the ball. Randle told MLB Network in January 2024 that he kept repeating, ‘Foul!’
As a youth baseball coach, Randle distributed T-shirts that read, “Don’t Lose, Go to College.”
Randle’s tenure with the Rangers ended on March 28, 1977, when he punched manager Frank Lucchesi. Randle lost his second base job to Bump Wills during spring training and asked to be traded if he wasn’t going to play regularly. Lucchesi told the media he was tired of the “$80,000-a-year punk” whining.
Randle punched Lucchesi three times before a spring training game against Minnesota, causing the manager to suffer a triple fracture of his right cheekbone and require plastic surgery. Randle said he approached Lucchesi along the third base line to talk to him, and Lucchesi said, “What do you have to say, Punk?”
“All I wanted to do was talk to him,” Randle said at the time. “I never thought something like this would happen, but sometimes things like this happen in life.”
The state of Texas suspended Randle for 30 days, fined him $10,000 and withheld $13,407.90 of his $80,000 salary.
Randle issued a public apology. He was charged by Orange County with a felony count of aggravated assault, pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge and was fined $1,050. In 1978, a civil suit brought by Lucchesi was settled.
Randle was traded to the Mets on April 26 and was selected as the designated player, which turned out to be second baseman Rick Auerbach. He agreed to a five-year contract with the Mets and made a brief appearance during spring training in 1978 in hopes of a restructured contract.
He was released by the Mets in March 1979 and signed with the Giants in May. Randle spent a month and a half in Triple-A before being traded to Pittsburgh. His contract was purchased by the Yankees in August of the same year.
After being released by the Mariners, Randle became the first American to play in the Italian Baseball League with Nettuno in 1983. He made his home in Anzio.
“Playing baseball in Italy was like finding the fountain of youth,” Randle said during his 1995 attempt to return to the MLB with the California Angels. “Everyone goes there and learns how to relax and enjoy the game. It’s easy because there’s no stress.”
Randle performed at the Stand Up Club after the game and released the funk song “Kingdom” by Lenny Randle and the Ballplayers.
He is survived by his wife, the former Linda Bradley; three sons, Bradley, Kumasi, and Ahmad; and three grandchildren. Planning a celebration of life.
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