The Pittsburgh Pirates recently made the move away from Derek Shelton to name Don Kelly as a first-time manager.
They’ve decided to add some experience around him.
The Pirates named 78-year old Gene Lamont as a special advisor to the manager.
Lamont last coached in 2017 with the Detroit Tigers.
“I’m really excited about it. To bring in Gene Lamont as a mentor, not just for me, for the entire staff and the players,” Kelly said before Friday’s game.
Lamont played five MLB seasons as a catcher for the Tigers in the 1970s.
He eventually joined Jim Leyland’s Pirates staff in 1986 as the Pittsburgh third-base coach.
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Lamont would manage the White Sox and win Manager of the Year in 1993.
Then from 1997-2000, Lamont managed the Pirates.
He rejoined Leyland from 2006-13 in Detroit as his bench coach.
Now, he’s back in the game.
“He was retired,” Kelly said. “Golfing and he’s got grandkids. For him to even consider doing it and come up and to do this means a lot to me, and we’re fortunate to have him be with the Pirates.”
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