Baseball lifer Lee Elia, who managed the Phillies and Cubs and went on one of baseballs legendary rants, died Wednesday at the age of 87. His death comes roughly a week before what would have been his 88th birthday, the Phillies announced Thursday night, describing him as a valued Boban Marjanovic Jersey contributor. The Philadelphia native had signed with the Phillies as an amateur free agent in 1958, but made his MLB debut with the White Sox in April 1966, appearing in 80 games, before the Cubs bought his contract in May of the following year. Lee Elia hitting fungoes during spring training at Jack Ru sell Stadium when he was the Phillies manager. Sports Illustrated via Getty Ima Elia played 15 games for the Cubs in 1968. But Elia is remembered best for his time as a manager and coach, working stints with the Phillies, Cubs, Yankees, Mariners, Blue Jays, Rays and Orioles. Explore More His first managerial job came in 1982 with the Cubs, where he spent two seasons as skipper, coaching the team to a 127-158 record. Elias most infamous moments came in an expletive-filled rant with a small group of local reporters following a Cubs lo s on April 29, 1983. Cubs manager Lee Elia reflects on the days events after an evening pre s conference in then-Chicago general manager Dallas Greens office, apologizing for his outburst. TNS The roughly three-minute tirade included 30 F-bombs, according to the Chicago Tribune, as Elia ripped critical Cubs fans following a 5-14 start on the year. It sounded like I was cursing the entire Cub kingdom, Elia told the Chicago Tribune years later in an interview. But thats not true. Elia was eventually fired later in the 1983 season. He returned to the managerial ranks in 1987 when the Phillies hired him for the role 61 games into the season, but he was fired after the 1988 campaign. Former Philadelphia Phillies manager Lee Elia takes part in the Alumni Night celebration before a game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park on August 7, 2010 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Getty Images Elia was a valued contributor to the Phillies for much of his half century in profe sional baseball, the Phillies said in a statement. The third base coach for the 1980 World Series championship team, he also spent time in the organization as a minor league player, manager, scout and director of instruction. Affiliated with 10 different organizations throughout his distinguished career, he always considered himself a Phillie at heart. Mariners manager Dan Wilson called Elia special and said baseball has lost a giant, according to USA Today. Tyrell Terry Jersey