As a youth, Herzog delivered newspapers, sold baked goods from a truck, dug graves, and worked at the brewery with his father.

In 1953, during the Korean War, Herzog served the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, during which time he was stationed at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri and managed the camp's baseball team.

[6] Before the 1961 season, the Athletics traded Herzog and Russ Snyder to the Baltimore Orioles for Wayne Causey, Jim Archer, Bob Boyd, Clint Courtney, and Al Pilarcik.

In reference to his relative success as a player versus being a manager, Herzog said, "Baseball has been good to me since I quit trying to play it.

On his watch, the Mets produced young talent that either appeared on one or both of its 1969 and 1973 World Series teams or were dealt and had successful major league careers elsewhere.

Among this crop of players was Gary Gentry, Wayne Garrett, Jon Matlack, John Milner, Amos Otis, and Ken Singleton.

Herzog was a candidate to become the Mets' manager after the death of Gil Hodges prior to the 1972 season, but was passed over in favor of first-base coach Yogi Berra, a future Yankee Hall of Fame catcher and brief ex-Met player, by chairman of the board M. Donald Grant.

[13] Perceiving Grant's actions as a snub,[12] Herzog left the Mets to accept the first managerial assignment of his career.

On November 2, 1972, he signed a two-year contract to lead the Texas Rangers, the only major league team to have 100 losses in 1972.

Hired based on recommendations from general manager Joe Burke to owner Bob Short, he'd been given the understanding that he was to help develop the team's young prospects.

He was named the team's interim manager on June 27, 1974, the same day that his predecessor Bobby Winkles was fired and also Hall of Fame bound successor Dick Williams was hired.

[18] The first game he managed was a 5–0 win for the Angels, who split a four-game weekend series against the Rangers at Anaheim Stadium during his brief 4-game stint.

At the time he took over in 1975, the team was in second place in the American League West but trailed the defending and eventual division champion Oakland Athletics by 11 games.

On the first pitch of the bottom of the ninth, Chris Chambliss hit a series-ending walk off home run off closer Mark Littell.

Herzog and general manager Joe Burke clashed during the 1979 season over personnel moves, and he openly chafed at being offered one-year contracts by owner Ewing Kauffman, who in turn did not like the treatment given to first baseman John Mayberry, whose lackadaisical play in Game 4 of the 1977 series had led to Herzog benching him for Game 5 before blaming him for the series loss and then demanding him to be traded.

Herzog's style of play, based on the strategy of attrition, was nicknamed "Whiteyball"[25] and concentrated on pitching, speed, and defense to win games rather than on home runs.

A less noticed (at the time) aspect of Herzog's offensive philosophy was his preference for patient hitters with high on-base percentages:[26] such players included Royals Brett, Hal McRae, and Amos Otis, and Cardinals Clark, Keith Hernandez, José Oquendo, and Ozzie Smith, as well as Darrell Porter, who played for Herzog in both Kansas City and St. Louis.

[28] With his extensive background in player development, Herzog also was a major league general manager with both the Cardinals (1980–82)[29] and the California Angels (1993–94).

[42] His grandson John Urick was a minor league first baseman and outfielder from 2003 until 2010 who played for managers and former Herzog-era Cardinals Garry Templeton and Hal Lanier.

[46] Upon his death, Commissioner Rob Manfred released a statement: Whitey Herzog was one of the most accomplished managers of his generation and a consistent winner with both 'I-70' franchises.

On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend my deepest condolences to Whitey's family, his friends across the game and the fans of the Cardinals and the Royals.