Bobby Cox remembered: Ex-Braves player hit homer for legend’s first game as skipper

Former Braves player and announcer Darrel Chaney says legendary Braves manager, Bobby Cox, will be remembered for his wins, being a world champion and being a Hall of Famer.

Tributes are pouring in for Braves icon Bobby Cox. What one former player remembers the most, LIVE on WSB Tonight at 11 p.m.

Chaney played for the Braves during Cox’s first season managing the team in 1978. Chaney said one of Cox’s earliest managerial victories became one of the most memorable moments of his own career.

“I believe it was the fourth game of the season against the San Diego Padres,” Chaney said. “I went in for defense, and we got to the bottom of the 9th inning, and there were two guys out and a man on first base, and it was my turn to bat. Bobby let me hit, and I hit a walk-off home run in the Fulton County Stadium there in Atlanta for Bobby Cox’s first major league win.”

Chaney said it remains a moment he will never forget: “Big thrill for me. Big thrill.”

But Chaney said his memories of Cox go far beyond baseball.

“He was just a good, good person,” he said.

Chaney described Cox as a manager who fiercely defended his players, recalling one game where Cox was ejected arguing on his behalf.

“I got ejected from a game,” Chaney said. “I slid into home plate, and I was safe by a long shot, but they called me out, and Bobby came out to fight for me. He got kicked out, too. He was so mad. He went into the restroom in the dugout; he took his hand and ran it through the toilet tank and shattered it.”

Chaney also remembered witnessing a major turning point in Cox’s personal life in 1979.

“We were signing autographs at a mall up in the Rome, Georgia, area,” Chaney said. ”We looked across the hallway, and there was this good-looking lady working in this clothing shop, and Bobby said I’m going to go introduce myself to that lady. And it was Pam, and he ended up marrying her.”

The friendship between Chaney and Cox lasted decades after their time together on the field.

“Although it’s a sad day, I remember so many joyous times because I got to know that guy,” Chaney said. “Bobby was one of the best.”