Perrotto: Manny Sanguillen Puts Smile on Everyone’s Face

This is my 37^th season of covering the Pittsburgh Pirates and Major League Baseball.

People often ask why I’m still doing this after so many years. After all, the game has changed since 1988 – not always for the better — and relations between the media and teams are much more strained than when I started.

Yet what keeps me coming back every year is the people. It’s still fun to see many of my fellow writers as well as broadcasters, executives, scouts, managers and players.

And it is always a thrill whenever I get a chance to run into any of my childhood heroes. Manny Sanguillen fits that category.

Sanguillen was a large part of many of the great Pirates teams of the 1970s and won World Series rings in 1971 and 1979. He was also selected to three All-Star Games in five years from 1971-75.

In all, Sanguillen played 12 of his 13 seasons with the Pirates. The exception was in 1977 when he was traded to the Oakland Athletics for manager Chuck Tanner.

That move to Oakland turned out fine. Sanguillen returned to the Pirates a year later and Tanner guided them to their last World Series appearance in 1979.

Sanguillen hit .299/.329/.398 with 65 home runs in 1,448 games with the Pirates. He was the ultimate non-three true outcomes player as he never walked more than 48 times or struck out more than 48 times in a season.

On Saturday, Sanguillen will be inducted into the Pirates Hall of Fame.

He is deserving of the honor strictly on the merits of his playing career. However, Sanguillen has meant so much more to the franchise than being an All-Star catcher who regularly hit .300.

Sanguillen is one of the most personable people ever to put on the Pirates’ uniform.

His megawatt smile and enthusiastic nature made him a fan favorite when he played. He has become a legend since PNC Park opener in 2001, overseeing the barbeque stand that bears his name on the concourse beyond the batter’s eye in center field.

During each game, a steady stream of fans visits Sanguillen, most asking for a photo or autograph. He turned 80 in March but still happily obliges everyone and does it with warmth, sincerity – and that one-of-a-kind smile.

Sanguillen is so genuine that he connects to people from all walks of life. The Pirates couldn’t ask for a better ambassador than the native of Panama, who originally signed with them in 1964 after once being an amateur boxer.

I can attest that Sanguillen is always a ray of sunshine.

Of my 37 seasons of covering ball, I have enjoyed 36 of them. The exception was in 2019 when the Pirates were bad, the clubhouse atmosphere was awful, and my work situation was even worse.

However, two of the few highlights of that season for me involved Sanguillen.

The first came in spring training when we were staying at the same hotel in Bradenton. We met for dinner in the restaurant in the lobby one evening and Sangy regaled me with stories from the past for two hours.

The second came late that season when I spent a game with Sanguillen at his barbeque stand while he interacted with fans. Each one of them walked away with a smile. And that made me smile, something I didn’t do a lot of that year.

The idea of Sanguillen becoming a Pirates Hall of Famer on Saturday makes me smile. I’m sure it makes plenty of others smile, too.