Sal Bando, Captain of Championship Oakland Athletics, Dies at 78

“In another town, someplace back East, we might be heroes,” Bando told The Sporting News in 1973. “Here we’re not even something special.”

Bando was also not known for the statistical feats of a player like Jackson, who while playing for the Yankees hit three consecutive home runs in the 1977 World Series.

Yet in a detailed 2013 biography of Bando, the Society for American Baseball Research determined that from 1969 to 1973 his “wins above replacement” figure — which estimates the total contribution of a player in comparison to a hypothetical likely replacement — was the highest in baseball, beating out not just Jackson but also Rose and Bench.

Salvatore Leonard Bando was born on Feb. 13, 1944, in Cleveland. His father, Ben, was a carpenter and amateur softball player, according to the Society for American Baseball Research. His mother, Angela Bando, was a homemaker, and she also played softball. Sal grew up in Warrensville Heights, a Cleveland suburb.

After the 1976 season, Bando became a free agent and was signed by the Brewers. He helped the team establish a winning culture, but it did not find anything like the success of the Athletics. He retired after the 1981 season and began to work in the Brewers’ front office. He was the general manager for most of the 1990s, an era when the team usually had a losing record.

Bando married Sandy Fortunato in 1969. Besides her, survivors include his sons, Sal Jr., Sonny and Stef.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/22/obituaries/sal-bando-dead.html