Lee MacPhail's son Andy has been a senior executive with four MLB clubs: general manager of the Minnesota Twins (1986–94), president/CEO of the Chicago Cubs (1994–2006), president/baseball operations of the Orioles (2007–11), and president of the Philadelphia Phillies (2015–20).

Son Lee MacPhail III had begun a career in baseball and was an executive with the Reading Phillies of the Eastern League upon his untimely death at age 27 in an automobile accident on February 18, 1969.

[4] Lee MacPhail graduated from Swarthmore College and entered baseball in his father's Brooklyn Dodger organization, became business manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the International League in 1942, then served in the United States Navy during World War II.

[7] After a brief term as top aide to the new commissioner, Eckert, in 1965–66,[8] MacPhail served as the Yankees' general manager from October 14, 1966, through the 1973 season, a rebuilding phase that saw no pennants or postseason appearances.

MacPhail also oversaw the league's 1977 expansion to 14 teams with the creation of the Toronto Blue Jays and the Seattle Mariners, and was credited with bringing an end to the 1981 baseball strike when he stepped in for the owners to handle stalled negotiations.

MacPhail also played a major role in the Pine Tar Incident in 1983, where he ruled on a protested game stemming from a home run that had been taken away from Kansas City Royals slugger George Brett.

[13] In 2013, the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award honored MacPhail as one of 37 Baseball Hall of Fame members for his service in the United States Navy during World War II.