Charlie Wagner, with Red Sox organization 70 years, dead at 93
BOSTON --"Broadway" Charlie Wagner, a former pitcher for the Boston Red Sox who worked for the organization 70 years, died early Thursday of an apparent heart attack. He was 93.
Wagner was stricken after attending a Reading Phillies-New Britain Rock Cats game in his hometown of Reading, Pa.
Red Sox CEO Larry Lucchino said Wagner's dedication and loyalty to the Red Sox were unmatched.
"In recent years, we had been honored with his frequent visits to Fenway Park and looked forward each opening day to his call of, 'Play Ball,'" Lucchino said.
Johnny Pesky, Wagner's former teammate and also a longtime member of the Red Sox organization, said Wagner was "a wonderful man."
"I never heard him say anything bad about anybody," Pesky said. "It was a little unusual for any type of ballplayer because you gripe about something. But he never griped about anything.
"I thought he'd live to be 100," Pesky said.
Reading Police Capt. Francis Drexler said Wagner was found in the passenger seat of his car in the parking lot at
"We all loved him and he loved us and he told us that every day," Reading General Manager Chuck Domino wrote on the team's Web site. "We will miss him and we will never forget the greatness of 'Broadway' and the lessons that he taught us about life everyday by just observing him."
Wagner pitched for the Red Sox between 1938 and 1942 before leaving the team to serve in the Navy during World War II. He briefly rejoined the Red Sox in 1946 before injuries ended his career. Wagner finished with a 32-23 record and 3.91 ERA over six seasons, including a 12-8 mark in 1941 and a 14-11 record in 1942.
In 1947, Wagner was named Boston's assistant farm director and stayed with the team as special assignment scout, minor league pitching instructor, major league pitching coach and, most recently, special minor league spring training consultant.
In 2004, Wagner spoke about his joy when Boston won a World Series championship for the first time in 86 years. He and his wife and cried, pray a little, and fielded a deluge of phone calls, he told the Reading Eagle.
"I kept telling everybody who called, 'Babe Ruth is dead! He just died!'" he said. "I never bought into The Curse, but they just kept writing about it. ... Now I never have to hear about it again."
Pesky said Wagner earned the nickname "Broadway" Charlie because he was an immaculate dresser.
On the mound, Wagner was smart and competitive, Pesky recalled. "He wasn't blessed with a great talent, but he fought the hitter and he knew how to pitch." he said.
Wagner also was relentlessly positive, Pesky said.
"He never looked to the dark side of life," Pesky said. "He never got discouraged or anything. He was like a cheerleader at times. He'd be in that dugout walking up and down saying, 'Let's go, let's go.'"
The Red Sox paid tribute to Wagner in 1998 by renaming the entrance to their minor complex in Fort Myers, Fla., "Charlie Wagner Way." He was also honored by the team on Opening Day at Fenway this season along with every living member of the 1946 team, which won the American League pennant.
The Red Sox honored Wagner with a moment of silence before Thursday night's game with the Toronto Blue Jays.
Wagner is survived by his son, Craig, and daughter-in-law, Nancy. A funeral is planned for Sept. 6 at the Kuhn Funeral Home in West Reading, Pa.
The family requests that donations be made in Wagner's memory to the Jimmy Fund.
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AP reporter Michael Rubinkam in Allentown, Pa., contributed to this report.
