Seattle Mariners bench coach Lee Elia (55) before the game against the Oakland Athletics at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, CA. Athletics defeated the Mariners 2-0 on July 8. Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Dan Wilson Gets Very Emotional Talking About Death of Former Seattle Mariners Coach

Originally posted on Seattle Mariners on SI
By Brady Farkas | Last updated Jul 10, 2025 7:10 PM ET

NEW YORK - Lee Elia, who played several prominent roles with the Seattle Mariners over multiple tenures in the 1990s and 2000s, died at the age of 87 on Wednesday.

The announcement was put on social media by the Philadelphia Phillies and the Mariners put out their own release as well:

Elia had a long career in Major League baseball, including in Seattle from 1993-97, 2001-02 and 2008 as a hitting coach, bench coach and special assistant to the field manager.

Elia, who managed both the Cubs and Phillies and spent a total of 47 years in professional baseball as a player, coach, scout, and manager, was a week shy of his 88th birthday (July 16, 1937 – July 9, 2025).

The Phillies mourn the loss of Lee Elia, who managed the club from 1987-88.

We extend our condolences to Lee’s widow Priscilla and the entire Elia family at this difficult time. pic.twitter.com/QEyeXNoaPF
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) July 10, 2025

Elia and Mariners' manager Dan Wilson spent several years together while Wilson was a player in Seattle, and Wilson was vividly emotional during Thursday's pregame talking about his passing and his impact.

Just a special man, special coach. It's really hard that he's gone... I'll get through this in a minute. I'm sorry... Lee really taught me how to play in the big leagues. He taught me how to hit in the big leagues. He was like a father to me in the game and just really dearly missed. And I think he treated everybody with so much love. And when you're called and referred to as Uncle Lee, you've made a lot of impressions with people, and that's how he was known to us. And we are going to miss him dearly. And, obviously thoughts and prayers with the family going through the difficult time right now, but baseball really will miss Lee Elia in a lot of ways.

Even when Wilson was done playing after the 2005 season, he stayed around the organization, eventually becoming a member of the Mariners Hall of Fame. He's also served as a roving coach in the minor leagues and a team broadcaster, before becoming manager in August of 2024.

Elia played two years in the big leagues with the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs.

This article first appeared on Seattle Mariners on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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