Bob Skinner, an outfielder on the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 1960 World Series championship team and a coach on the team’s 1979 winning team, died Monday. He was 94 years old.
“As a member of the 1960 World Series championship team, Bob was an important part of one of the most beloved teams in our storied history and helped deliver a moment that will forever be woven into the fabric of our city,” Pirates chairman Bob Nutting said in a statement. “Bob was a talented player, a proud Pirate and a respected member of the baseball community. On behalf of the entire Pirates organization, we extend our deepest condolences to Bob’s family, friends and all those who knew and loved him.”
We are saddened to relay the news of the passing of former Pirates outfielder and coach Bob Skinner. Skinner was a member of the 1960 World Series Championship Pirates and a coach on the 1979 World Series Championship team. He made his Major League debut with the Bucs in 1954 and… pic.twitter.com/xOfl4ZYKTV
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) May 5, 2026
Skinner, a three-time World Series champion, made his MLB debut with the Pirates at age 22 in 1954. He played nine of his 12 major league seasons with the Pirates and was an All-Star in 1958 and twice in 1960, when the Pirates won the World Series.
Pitcher Vern Law, 96, is now the lone surviving member of the 1960 World Series team.
In 1958, Skinner started 141 games in left field and had a career-high .321 batting average with 13 home runs, 70 RBIs, 93 runs, 12 stolen bases and an .879 OPS. He started in left field in the All-Star Game that season.
Born Oct. 3, 1931 in La Jolla, Calif., Skinner played at La Jolla High School and later San Diego Junior College, where he hit .411 in one season before signing a free-agent contract with the Pirates. His minor league career was interrupted by service in the U.S. Marines from 1951-53 during the Korean War, where he was a corporal who earned the National Defense Service Medal.
A towering 6-foot-4 left-handed hitter, Skinner batted .277 with 103 homers and 531 RBIs over a 12-year career.
Skinner also spent two seasons with Cincinnati (1963-64) and three seasons with St. Louis (1964-66), winning a World Series with the Cardinals in ‘64.
After his playing career, he was a minor league manager in the Phillies’ system and then compiled a 92-123 record as Phillies manager in 1968-69.
He later was a coach in San Diego for four seasons before returning to the Pirates as batting coach from 1974-76. He coached for the Padres and Angeles in 1977 and ‘78, respectively, before returning as the Pirates’ batting coach and third-base coach from 1979-85, helping lead the Pirates to the 1979 World Series.
He then coached with the Atlanta Braves until 1988 and moved into a scouting role with the Houston Astros for 20 years before retiring in 2009.
A cause of death has not been revealed. Skinner is survived by his wife of 62 years, Joan, sons Mark, Craig, Drew and Joel, along with 11 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren.
His son, Joel, was interim manager for the Cleveland Indians in 2002 and coached 10 seasons in the major leagues. They are one of only five father-son pairs to be major league managers.