Longtime Phillies executive Bill Giles dies at 92

Bill Giles, the longtime Philadelphia Phillies executive who became an owner and chief executive during more than five decades with the team, has died at 92. The Phillies said he died Friday, September 25, at his home in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania. The team announced his death and credited Giles with reshaping the franchise from a traditional baseball club into a prominent entertainment and business operation. Phillies managing partner and CEO John Middleton said Giles had a profound impact on one of the greatest eras in the team’s history, both on and off the field. Giles joined the Phillies in 1969 as vice president of business operations and became executive vice president three years later. In 1981, he organized a group that bought the club from the Carpenter family. He served as president and CEO until 1997, then became chairman. He moved to chairman emeritus in 2015 and held that title at the time of his death. The Phillies credited Giles with playing a major role in building the team that won the 1980 World Series, including persuading then-owner Ruly Carpenter to sign Pete Rose. The championship was the franchise’s first.