Baseball Player and Coach, Denis Menke Dies at 80
by Zarren Egesdal
KIOW-FM
December 9, 2020

(c) Houston Astros

According to multiple releases, Bancroft, Iowa native Denis Menke passed away at his home in Tarpon Springs, FL, on December 1.

Menke was born in Bancroft in 1940 and played for baseball powerhouse Bancroft St. John’s in high school. St. John’s made 35 state baseball appearances from 1943-1988, including nine state baseball champions; their last was in 1986. Menke was a 1958 graduate of St. John’s, who won the 1957 spring baseball championship and the 1958 fall baseball title.

He was signed as an amateur free agent by the Milwaukee Braves on May 27, 1958. He continued to play with the Braves – who moved to Atlanta in 1966 – until he was traded to the Houston Astros on October 8, 1967. He and Denny Lemaster went to Houston in exchange for Sonny Jackson and Chuck Harrison. He was later traded to the Cincinnati Reds, where he played in the 1972 and 1973 seasons. His final trade came in February 1974 when he was traded back to Houston to play his last season in 1974. In 1972, he started all seven games for the "Big Red Machine" at third base. Cincinnati fell in the '72 World Series to Oakland. He was an All-Star in 1969 and 1970 with Houston, hitting a career-high .304 in 1970 for the Astros. He retired with a .250 career batting average and 1,270 hits.

His coaching career started in 1977 as the Burlington Bees of the Midwest League manager – at that time a farm team of the Milwaukee Brewers – and won the league championship that season. In the 1978 and 1979 seasons, Menke was the manager of the Dunedin Blue Jays. He spent the 1980 and 81 seasons as the first base coach for the Toronto Blue Jays before returning to Houston as the hitting coach in 1983. In 1988 the Astros moved Menke to third base, where Menke spent one season. He then joined the Philadelphia Phillies organization from 1989-1996 as their hitting coach. Menke returned to the World Series in ’93 with the Phillies, but again, came up short to the Blue Jays. His coaching career concluded with returning to Cincinnati as the bench coach from 1997-2000 when he retired.

According to the Oakcrest Funeral Service website, Denis is survived by his wife of 57 years, Jean, their three children, Debra Menke, Scott Menke and Kristina Menke, and nine grandchildren, Ryan, Cori Lynn, Kyle, Jacob, Jonathan, Nicholas, Alexis, Riley, and Shawn.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Walter Menke and Mary (Rahe) Menke, and his brother, Alan Menke.

Private family services will be held in his hometown of Bancroft, IA.

Denis Menke, 1993 Phillies hitting coach, dies at 80
Matt Breen
Philadelphia Inquirer
December 8, 2020

Denis Menke, a three-time All Star and the hitting coach for the 1993 National League champion Phillies, died earlier this month. He was 80.

Mr. Menke, who died on Dec. 1, played 13 major-league seasons for the Braves, Astros, and Reds before becoming a coach. He started all seven games of the 1972 World Series as Cincinnati's third baseman as the Big Red Machine fell to Oakland. Mr. Menke was an All Star in 1969 and 1970 with Houston, hitting a career-high .304 in 1970 for the Astros. He retired in 1974 with a .250 career batting average and 1,270 hits.

Mr. Menke was the Phillies hitting coach from 1989 to 1996 and was lauded for having an individual approach. He wore No. 4 until midway through his first season when the Phillies acquired Lenny Dykstra, who would take Mr. Menke's number and become one of the catalysts for the offensive juggernaut Mr. Menke presided over in 1993.

The 1993 Phillies led the National League in hits, runs, doubles, RBIs, walks, extra-base, total bases, on-base percentage, and OPS. Four players drove in 85 or more runs, four players hit 18 or more homers, and eight players had 100 or more hits as the Phillies returned to the World Series for the first time in 10 years.

Mr. Menke is the third member of the 1993 team to die this year. Bullpen coach "Irish" Mike Ryan died in July and infielder Kim Batiste died in October. Larry Bowa, who coached third base, is the only living member of the team's seven-member coaching staff.

Mr. Menke coached with the Blue Jays and Astros before joining the Phillies. He returned to Cincinnati, where he played two seasons, and was the Reds' bench coach from 1997 to 2000. Mr. Menke retired in 2000, 41 years after he signed with the Milwaukee Braves for $125,000 as a 17-year-old in 1959.

"I've been very fortunate in my life. Baseball has been really good to me," Menke told MLB.com in 2014. "Things happen. You're surprised by things, but then you realize that life has to go on. That's kind of the way I look at it. I still enjoy life."

"I wouldn't have changed anything. Grew up on a farm, entered baseball when I was 17 years old, and 40 years later I decided it was finally time to get out. I really did get out on my own terms. After the 2000 season in Cincinnati, I knew it was time to get out. It was a little harder for me to be around some of the high-priced players and the so-called superstars. And I decided it was time to get out. The scout who signed me said if you ever get tired to the point you're not enjoying the game, it's time to get out. And that's what I did."