The man who managed the Houston Astros to their first World Series appearance officially joined their franchise Hall of Fame on Saturday. Phil Garner, the tough former infielder and manager, was inducted posthumously by the team with which he spent more than a decade of a long baseball career.
"Phil learned about this honor not long before he passed," said Garner's wife, Carol. "And he wasn't smiling much in those days. But for that, he did."
Garner and former catcher and broadcaster Alan Ashby entered the Astros' Hall of Fame prior to their game against the Mariners at Daikin Park. They joined the 22 other inductees who played for the club, while Ashby joins four others who were broadcasters.
Garner, who died in April at age 76 after a battle with pancreatic cancer, played seven seasons of a 16-year major-league career with Houston and later managed the Astros for parts of four seasons. But his ties to the franchise and city transcended both tenures.
"He'd been a big leaguer - playing, coaching or managing - for 33 years, he had a World Series ring from Pittsburgh. But this honor reached him differently," Carol Garner said in a press conference. "Because Houston was never just a stop for us. Yes, he played managed and coached in other places. But we made Houston our home and have been here a long time."

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