Gene Mauch
Gene Mauch (November 18, 1925 – August 8, 2005) was manager of the 1986 California Angels, the team represented in the NES version of RBI. Though he was known as one of the best baseball minds of all-time and won over 1,900 games, Mauch is typically known for his teams' late season collapses.
- In 1964, Mauch's Phillies blew a 6.5 game lead with 12 games left to the Cardinals
- In 1982, Mauch's Angels blew a 2-0 lead to lose the best-of-five playoff series to Milwaukee
- The 1986 Angels were one pitch away from the World Series
Though many never let him forget about his failures, the successes Mauch achieved while coaching and the impression he left are undeniable. Mauch was involved in baseball as either a player or coach just about every year from 1943 to 1987. Though he wasn't directly involved with the team, Mauch got some level of vindication (both personally and in the press) with the Angels World Championship in 2002.
Mauch passed away from a lengthy battle with cancer on August 8th, 2005.
- Nephew Roy Smalley was an RBI'er with the Minnesota Twins