Philadelphia Phillies great Mike Schmidt), "You remember that guy? He would toy with you and pound the ball in his glove and you were still out by 10 feet!" Every time the Tigers played the Yankees, the late Yankee broadcaster Phil "Scooter" Rizzuto eventually got a chance to see a Rodriguez throw a "rising" fastball across the infield. "There's that arm", Scooter used to say. "If I had an arm like that...!" Baseball coach and manager After his playing career ended, Rodriguez worked as a manager, primarily in the Mexican League, from 1987 to 1997. He began by managing the Los Mochis club in 1987. Rodriguez returned to the United States in 1989 as assistant coach for the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, a Triple-A farm team for the Cleveland Indians. In 1990, he worked for the Toledo Mud Hens. In 1991, Rodriguez was the manager of the Sultanes de Monterrey and led the club to the Mexican League championship. He then managed the Saltillo Saraperos team in 1992 and the Industriales de Monterrey in 1993 and 1994. In 1995, Rodriguez was the manager of the Broncos de Reynosa of the Mexican League. He led Reynosa to the North Zone title in 1995. Rodriguez was suspended for the remainder of the 1996 season following an altercation in which he allegedly struck or bumped an umpire in May 1996. Rodriguez returned as manager at Reynosa in 1997, but was replaced after the 1997 season. Personal life and death Rodriguez developed a reputation as a ladies' man. When asked in 1969 if he preferred American or Mexican girls, he smiled and replied that "as long as they wear skirts he likes them all." A woman wrote in 1973 that Rodriguez had a "charm that attracts large numbers of woman fans. His handsome looks and disposition make the girls swoon." Rodriguez was married in December 1971. He and his wife had a son, Aurelio, in approximately 1974. In September 2000, Rodriguez was killed on a Saturday afternoon while visiting Detroit. As he left the El Rancho restaurant, he was struck by a vehicle that jumped the curb at the corner of Cavalry and West Vernor. Rodriguez was thrown into the air and then pinned under another car. He was extricated and transported to Henry Ford Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Rodriguez's funeral was held at a packed stadium in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico.