of the Washington Senators in 1955. Manager of the Senators/Twins On May 7, 1957, with the Senators in last place, Dressen was fired and Lavagetto named as his successor. The team improved slightly, but finished last in 1957, 1958, and 1959. Finally, in 1960, Lavagetto's Senators rose to fifth place in the eight-team American League. The club featured promising young players such as Harmon Killebrew, Jim Kaat, Earl Battey, and Bob Allison, as well as veteran pitcher Camilo Pascual, just entering his prime. However, the Senators' encouraging 1960 season came too late to keep the franchise in Washington; owner Calvin Griffith moved the club to Minneapolis–Saint Paul, where it became the Minnesota Twins in 1961. Lavagetto was the first manager in Twins history, but he did not finish the 1961 season. With the Twins mired in ninth place in the new ten-team AL, he took a seven-game leave of absence on June 5 and then returned to the helm on the 13th, but was fired on June 23 with the club still in ninth place. He was replaced by coach Sam Mele, under whom the Twins became pennant contenders in 1962 (finishing in second place to the Yankees) and pennant winners in 1965. Lavagetto, as manager for the so-called "Griffs", won 271 games and lost 384 (.414). Later life Lavagetto then returned to the coaching ranks with the New York Mets (1962–1963), and — back home in the Bay Area — the San Francisco Giants (1964–1967) before leaving baseball. Lavagetto died in his sleep at his home in Orinda, California, in 1990 at the age of 77. See also List of Major League Baseball single-game hits leaders References External links Oakland Oaks Sporting News' Baseball's 25 Greatest Moments: Cookie Crumbles Bevens Bill Bevens No-Hit Bid in '47 World Series Audio – Cookie Lavagetto breaks up Bill Bevens' No-Hit Bid in 1947 World Series 1912 births 1990 deaths American people of Italian descent Baseball coaches from California Baseball players from Oakland, California Brooklyn Dodgers coaches Brooklyn Dodgers players Major League Baseball first base coaches Major League Baseball third base coaches Major League Baseball third basemen Minnesota Twins managers National League All-Stars New York Mets coaches Oakland Oaks (baseball) players People from Orinda, California Pittsburgh Pirates players San Francisco Giants coaches United States Navy personnel of World War II Washington Senators (1901–1960) coaches Washington Senators (1901–1960) managers