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Edward Michael Kasko (born June 27, 1932, at Linden, New Jersey) is a former infielder, manager, scout and front office executive in American Major League Baseball.

A standout defensive player as a shortstop and third baseman, Kasko played for ten seasons (1957-66) with the St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox. A right-handed batter, he lacked home run power but was a good "contact hitter." His career batting average was .264 in 1,077 games and 3,546 at bats. Kasko appeared in one World Series — 1961, with Cincinnati. He led the Reds with seven hits and batted .319, but Cincinnati lost the series in five games to the New York Yankees.

After the 1966 season, his only campaign with Boston, Kasko retired as an active player and managed the Red Sox' AAA clubs, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Louisville Colonels, from 1967-69. He succeeded the popular Dick Williams as Bosox manager in 1970, and guided the club through four seasons, with mixed results. The Red Sox finished above the .500 mark each season, but only contended in 1972 when they finished a half-game out of first place, behind the Detroit Tigers, in the American League East Division. The half-game differential was partly due to the brief players' strike that spring: 6-8 games were lopped off each club's schedule and it was agreed that lost games would not be "made up" to resolve pennant races.

During Kasko's four-year managerial term, he incorporated young players such as Carlton Fisk and Dwight Evans into the Red Sox lineup, converted relief pitcher Bill Lee into a successful starter, and showed patience with sore-armed veteran Luis Tiant as he returned to form as a dominant pitcher. But when the 1973 Red Sox again could not measure up to the powerful Baltimore Orioles of the era, Kasko was relieved of his managerial duties. His final record with Boston, over four seasons, was 345-295 (.539).

Kasko remained with the Red Sox for another two decades, however, as a scout (1974-77) and then, after 1977, as the team's director of scouting and vice president, baseball development. He retired in 1994.

References

•The Baseball Encyclopedia, Macmillan Books, 10th edition.

External links

• Baseball-Reference.com - career playing statistics and managing record