John Felske
John Frederick Felske
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 3", Weight 195 lb.
- School University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- High School Lane Technical High School
- Debut July 26, 1968
- Final Game September 8, 1973
- Born May 30, 1942 in Chicago, IL USA
- Died November 30, 2024 in Blue Eye, MO USA
Biographical Information[edit]
John Felske hit his one career home run on June 1, 1972. The opposing pitcher was Lindy McDaniel of the New York Yankees; Felske and the Milwaukee Brewers won the game, 9-8. He played his last game for the Brewers in 1973 and immediately became a manager in the Brewers' farm system.
In 1974, Felske guided the Newark Co-Pilots. The next two years he moved up to the Eastern League, with the Thetford Mines Miners in 1975 and the Berkshire Brewers in 1976. Next he spent three years in the Pacific Coast League, guiding the Spokane Indians in 1977 and 1978, and the Vancouver Canadians in 1979. He left the Brewers and spent two seasons as a Toronto Blue Jays coach in 1980 and 1981.
Felske returned to the minors in the Philadelphia Phillies chain with the Reading Phillies in 1982 and the Portland Beavers in 1983. He was a member of the Phillies coaching staff in 1984. He took over as the Phillies manager in 1985 and held that position for two and a half seasons, including guiding the team to an unexpected second-place finish behind the New York Mets in 1986. When the Phils failed to get off to a good start in 1987, he was fired and replaced buy Lee Elia. In 8 minor league seasons (7 at AA or AAA) his teams were 513-538 and in 2 1/2 major league seasons they were 190-194.
| Preceded by Paul Owens |
Philadelphia Phillies Manager 1985-1987 |
Succeeded by Lee Elia |
Year-by-Year Managerial Record[edit]
| Year | Team | League | Record | Finish | Organization | Playoffs | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Newark Co-Pilots | New York-Penn League | 30-36 | 5th | Milwaukee Brewers | none | |
| 1975 | Thetford Mines Miners | Eastern League | 59-80 | 7th | Milwaukee Brewers | ||
| 1976 | Berkshire Brewers | Eastern League | 68-68 | 5th | Milwaukee Brewers | ||
| 1977 | Spokane Indians | Pacific Coast League | 75-69 | 4th | Milwaukee Brewers | ||
| 1978 | Spokane Indians | Pacific Coast League | 64-75 | 8th | Milwaukee Brewers | ||
| 1979 | Vancouver Canadians | Pacific Coast League | 79-68 | 3rd | Milwaukee Brewers | Lost in 1st round | |
| 1982 | Reading Phillies | Eastern League | 63-75 | 5th | Philadelphia Phillies | ||
| 1983 | Portland Beavers | Pacific Coast League | 75-67 | 3rd (t) | Philadelphia Phillies | League Champs | |
| 1985 | Philadelphia Phillies | National League | 75-87 | 5th | Philadelphia Phillies | ||
| 1986 | Philadelphia Phillies | National League | 86-75 | 2nd | Philadelphia Phillies | ||
| 1987 | Philadelphia Phillies | National League | 29-32 | -- | Philadelphia Phillies | replaced by Lee Elia on June 18 |
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