PITTSBURGH (KDKA/AP) - Pittsburgh Pirates special assistant and former Detroit Tigers manager Bill Lajoie has died at the age of 76.

Lajoie served the Tigers as scouting director and assistant general manager before becoming general manager in 1984, when he lead that team to the World Series championship.

Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said on the passing of Lajoie, "Mr. Lajoie impacted the lives and careers of a countless number of players, scouts and front office executives. He was a terrific evaluator of talent, an outstanding baseball man, a tremendous mentor and a better friend."

When he joined the Tigers as a scout in 1968, he helped land the likes of future stars Kirk Gibson, Jack Morris, Willie Hernandez, Lance Parrish, Dan Petry, Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker.

Former Pirates manager and current Tigers manager Jim Leyland was a teammate of Lajoie's in the Tigers' farm system.

Leyland said, he "roomed with him for 10 years in Lakeland, (Fla.). He was a great teacher for me. We'd sit there and talk baseball, hours on end."

After leaving Detroit, Lajoie served as an assistant for the Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds, Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers.