base and third base. He batted .224 (165-for-737), with 15 home runs and 60 runs batted in (RBIs). In Nippon Professional Baseball in 2000, he played in only 29 games and batted .197 with one home run and two RBIs. Lovullo's long minor league playing career — 1,433 games with 1,193 hits, and a batting average of .267 — included extended stays with the Toledo Mud Hens, Columbus Clippers and Buffalo Bisons. He later returned to manage in both Buffalo and Columbus. Coaching and managing career Minor league manager Lovullo's off-field career began in the Cleveland organization in 2001 as a minor league infield coach. After Farrell joined the Indians' front office as director of player development that November, Lovullo became the manager of the 2002 Columbus (Georgia) RedStixx of the Class A South Atlantic League, and guided them to the finals of the SAL playoffs. He then moved up to the High Class A Kinston Indians (2003–04) and the Double-A Akron Aeros (2005), which he piloted to an 84–58 win–loss record and the Eastern League championship. His 2005 success led to his first MLB managerial audition, when he was invited to interview for the vacant managerial job for the Los Angeles Dodgers prior to the 2006 season. When the Dodgers settled on Grady Little for their manager position, Lovullo resumed managing in the Indians' organization as skipper of the Buffalo Bisons, the Tribe's Triple-A affiliate. During Lovullo's playing career, he had spent all or parts of three seasons (1995; 1997–98) as a player for the Bisons and won two championships: one in the American Association and one in the International League. In 2003, he also had received the highest honor awarded to an alumnus of Buffalo baseball, as he was inducted into the Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame, alongside his teammate from the 1997 and 1998 championship squads, Jeff Manto. In three campaigns (2006–08) as the Bisons' manager, he led the club to two winning records, and compiled a mark of 214–212. He also interviewed for the Pittsburgh Pirates' managerial vacancy after the 2007 season. In 2009, the Indians changed their Triple-A affiliation from Buffalo to the Columbus (Ohio) Clippers of the International League. Lovullo had played for the Clippers in 1991–92 when the team was the Yankees' top farm club. The Clippers were the International League champions in both seasons Lovullo played in Columbus, winning back-to-back Governors' Cup