North Redington Beach, Fla. ? George Bamberger, a former major league pitcher who became a coach and managed Milwaukee’s “Bambi’s Bombers” teams in the late 1970s, died of cancer. He was 78.

Bamberger, who also managed the New York Mets, died Sunday night at home in North Redington Beach, according to Garden Sanctuary Funeral Home and Cemetery in Seminole.

“He was perfect for Milwaukee,” said baseball commissioner Bud Selig, whose family has controlled the team since 1970. “I remember he’d get to the ballpark early, see people tailgating and he’d stop and have a beer with them. He was really a beloved figure here.”

Bamberger was the Baltimore Orioles’ pitching coach from 1968 to 1977, helping produce AL Cy Young Award winners four times with Jim Palmer and Mike Cuellar and pitchers who won 20 or more games 18 times.

After the 1977 season, Selig hired Harry Dalton as Milwaukee’s general manager and Dalton hired Bamberger as his manager. He led the team to 93-69 record in 1978 and 95-66 the following year.

A heart ailment that required bypass surgery after the season limited Bamberger to 92 games in 1980.

“He taught me a lot,” Selig said. “There’s nobody who knew pitching like he did. He believed pitchers should throw more. He didn’t like the five-day rotation.”

Bamberger came out of retirement to manage the Mets in 1982 and part of 1983 before returning to manage the Brewers in 1985 and 1986. He had 458-478 record as a major league manager, including 377-351 with the Brewers.

Bamberger was a right-handed pitcher who spent most of his playing career in the minor leagues, including 15 years at Triple-A.