Salvatore Leonard Bando (February 13, 1944 – January 20, 2023) was an American professional baseball player and general manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a third baseman from to , most prominently as the captain of the Oakland Athletics dynasty that won three consecutive World Series championships between 1972 and 1974.
A four-time All-Star player, Bando averaged 23 home runs and 90 runs batted in over an eight-year span.
Playing career
Bando attended Warrensville Heights High School, where he played baseball, football, basketball, and ran track. He attended Arizona State University, where he played college baseball for the Arizona State Sun Devils under coach Bobby Winkles. He was a member of the 1965 College World Series champions and was named the College World Series Most Outstanding Player.
The Kansas City Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB) selected Bando in the sixth round of the 1965 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut for the Athletics in 1966. He was named the starting third baseman for the American League in the 1969 MLB All-Star Game. Bando remains the only player to officially serve as captain of the A's in the franchise's long history.
During the "Swingin' A's" era of 1971 to 1975, Bando was named to three consecutive All-Star Games (1972–1974) In 1973, he led the American League with 64 extra-base hits, 32 doubles, and 295 total bases. Bando remained a strong MVP candidate through Oakland's championship run, finishing third and fourth in the voting in 1973 and 1974.
During spring training in 1981, he announced that it would be his last season. Bando batted 5-for-17 (.294) with three doubles in the 1981 American League Division Series, Milwaukee's first MLB postseason appearance. Bando retired after the 1981 season. He served in the part-time position until 1991.
Bando was named the Brewers' general manager on October 8, , succeeding Dalton. That month, he fired manager Tom Trebelhorn and hired Phil Garner, a former Athletics teammate, to succeed him; Garner had no managerial experience. Bando and Garner had only one winning team, the 1992 Brewers. At the time, Bando said that the team would view Molitor as a designated hitter rather than a position player. Molitor, who had entered the offseason wanting to re-sign with the Brewers, signed with the Toronto Blue Jays, who won the 1993 World Series with Molitor being named the World Series MVP. Bando held his position as GM until August 12, , resigning the position after Garner was fired. Bando was replaced by former Atlanta Braves assistant GM Dean Taylor.
Bando was CEO of The Middleton Doll Company, a Columbus, Ohio, enterprise with multiple other businesses associated with it. Both he and Jon McGlocklin established the firm, which was originally the Bando McGlocklin Capital Corporation, in 1979. The name changed to its current form on May 4, 2001, to reflect its acquisition of Lee Middleton Original Dolls Inc.
The National College Baseball Hall of Fame inducted Bando in 2013. He was an inaugural member of the Milwaukee Brewers Wall of Honor in 2014 and was inducted into the Oakland Athletics Hall of Fame in 2022.
Personal life
thumb|upright|Bando in 2017
Bando was born in Cleveland on February 13, 1944, to Ben, a carpenter, and Angela, a homemaker. He then grew up in nearby Warrensville Heights, Ohio, with younger siblings, Chris and Victoria.
Bando was a Roman Catholic and was involved in some Catholic organizations.
Death
Bando died of cancer on January 20, 2023, in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, at age 78.