After winning an NCAA championship with Arizona State, Tuck was hired to coach for the nearby Tucson Toros, a Minor League affiliate of the Houston Astros. Tuck spent eight years in the Astros organization. In 1986, he managed the Double-A Columbus Astros to a league championship,[2] winning Southern League Manager of the Year honors.[3]
Tuck rejoined the Yankees in 1996 as the manager of the Single-A Oneonta Yankees, where he spent the next two seasons.[5]
Major league career
New York Yankees (1990, 1997–99, 2003–04)
With the Yankees, Tuck served as the bullpen coach for the start of the 1990 season under manager Bucky Dent. Tuck, along with Dent, hitting coach Champ Summers and third base coach Joe Sparks, were all fired by the Yankees on June 7, 1990 after an 18-32 start to the season.[6]
Tuck worked with Jorge Posada as a young player, and prepped him to eventually take over for starting catcher Joe Girardi. Posada's workload increased from 60 games in 1997 to 111 and 112 the next two seasons.[7] He eventually took over the starting role in 2000.
Tuck won World Series rings as the team catching instructor in 1998 and 1999.[8] He was not retained following the 1999 season.
In 2006, Joe Girardi was hired as the Marlins manager, and he hired Tuck as his bench coach.[10] He was known for writing the lineup card in calligraphy.[11] Girardi was fired following the season despite winning Manager of the Year.
Boston Red Sox (2007–12)
In November 2006, the Boston Red Sox hired Tuck as their new bullpen coach.[1][9] He joined pitching coach John Farrell and hitting coach Dave Magadan as new members of the Red Sox coaching staff for the 2007 season. He earned another World Series ring as a member of Boston's 2007 championship team. Tuck also served as an organization-wide catching instructor during spring training.[1] The Red Sox won the 2007 World Series with Tuck on the coaching staff. In his final season, he was noted for clashing with manager Bobby Valentine.[12]
On January 29, 2013, he notified the Red Sox that he intended to retire effective immediately, ending his six-year tenure with the team.[13] He spent the 2013 season out of baseball.
Return to New York (2014–2015)
Tuck rejoined the Yankees as their bullpen coach during the 2013–14 offseason.[14] The team moved from the ninth best bullpen in 2013, to eighth best under Tuck.[15][16] Despite the bullpen's success, the Yankees missed the postseason for their second consecutive year. Following the 2015 season, Tuck was let go by the Yankees.[17]