Pirates' World Series champion and 3-time All-Star Phil Garner dies at 76

The Pittsburgh Pirates confirmed the passing of former infielder Phil Garner on Sunday morning at age 76. 

According to the team and Garner's family, he passed away on April 11. 

"Phil Garner passed away peacefully last night, April 11, surrounded by family and love after a two-plus-year battle with pancreatic cancer," Garner's son Ty said in a statement provided by the Pirates. "Phil never lost his signature spark of life; he was so well known for his love for baseball, which was with him until the end."

Garner was an integral part of the Pirates' 1979 "We Are Family" World Series team, going 12-for-24 against the Orioles. The Pirates acquired him just before the 1977 season from the then-Oakland Athletics. 

Nicknamed "Scrap Iron," he earned the nickname from Milo Hamilton, who said he was a young third baseman knocking down balls, always dirty, and unbothered, saying he was as tough as scrap iron. 

The nickname would stick throughout his playing career and into his managerial career. After his 16-year playing career on the diamond came to an end, he would go on to manage the Brewers, Tigers, and Astros, taking Houston to its first World Series berth in 2005. 

Garner is survived by his wife Carol, their three children, Eric, Ty, and Bethany, and six grandchildren.