Roy McMillan
Quick Facts
Biography
Roy David McMillan (July 17, 1929 – November 2, 1997) was a shortstop, coach and manager in Major League Baseball. From 1951 through 1966, McMillan played for the Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Braves, and New York Mets. He batted and threw right-handed. Following his retirement as a player, McMillan managed the Milwaukee Brewers and New York Mets. He was born in Bonham, Texas.
In a 16-season career, McMillan posted a .243 batting average with 68 home runs and 594 runs batted in in 2,093 games played.
McMillan, who spent 10 seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, was his team's glue between the infield and outfield in the 1950s. He won the first three Gold Gloves for the shortstop position (1957 in MLB, 1958-59 in the National League), and in 1954, he set a since-surpassed major league record of 129 double plays.
Twice named to the NL All-Star team (1956–57), McMillan also played with the Milwaukee Braves and New York Mets and finished his career in 1966. In 1970 he returned to Milwaukee as first-base coach with the Brewers, served as interim skipper in 1972 between Dave Bristol and Del Crandall, then coached for the New York Mets. In 1975, he replaced Yogi Berra as the Mets' interim manager. Late in his career, he was a scout for the Montreal Expos based in Bonham.
McMillan was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1971. He died in Bonham in 1997.
All-Star
In 1957, McMillan and six of his Redleg teammates—Ed Bailey, Johnny Temple, Don Hoak, Gus Bell, Wally Post and Frank Robinson—were voted into the National League All-Star starting lineup, the result of a ballot stuffing campaign by Reds fans. Bell remained on the team as a reserve, but Post was taken off altogether. Bell and Post were replaced as starters by Hank Aaron and Willie Mays.