Macha is a graduate of Gateway High School in Monroeville, a suburb of Pittsburgh, and played college ball at the University of Pittsburgh. He was selected by Pittsburgh in the sixth round of the 1972 June draft. He was the Eastern League batting champion in 1974 with the Thetford Mines Pirates. Macha made his major league debut on September 14, 1974, going 1-for-1 in a 17-2 Pirates loss to the Expos at Jarry Park. He is one of only a handful of players to play for both the Montreal Expos and Toronto Blue Jays, Canada's two major league franchises. His last major league appearance was on September 30, 1981 in a 3-0 Blue Jays loss to the Oakland Athletics. Macha hit a combined.258 in 180 Major League Baseball games. Following his major league career, Macha spent four years playing in Japan with the Chunichi Dragons, from 1982 until 1985.
Coaching career
Macha retired as a player in 1985 and joined the Expos as a major league coach in 1986. He spent six seasons at Montreal before moving to coaching for the California Angels at bullpen and third base. He then joined the Boston Red Sox organization in fall 1994. The 1997 season marked Macha's first as manager of the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox. In the previous two seasons he managed the Double-A Trenton Thunder to first-place finishes, including a league-best 86–56 record and another division crown in 1996. He was chosen to manage the American League affiliates in the Double-A All-Star Game. Macha then joined the Oakland Athletics as bench coach, serving under former Pirates teammate Art Howe from 1999 through 2002. In March 2002, the A's denied permission for the Red Sox to contact Macha about their managerial vacancy. Boston then hired Grady Little, while Macha spent a final season as a coach until he was tapped to succeed Howe, who became manager of the New York Mets after the season ended. In one of the most unusual contract moves ever, Macha's pact expired on October 8, 2005 and negotiations broke down between the two sides trying to reach a deal; eventually it broke apart and Macha was out of a job. Six days later—apparently after talking with the Pittsburgh Pirates, but either not being offered the managerial position there or deciding not to take it—Macha reached a deal with the Athletics and became manager once again. He was later fired on October 16, 2006 by general managerBilly Beane, after the A's were swept out of the American League Championship Series by the Detroit Tigers. After he was dismissed from his managerial position in Oakland, the Seattle Mariners offered Macha a position as bench coach to manager Mike Hargrove, but Macha refused, citing his desire to take a year off. He was then offered a position as a senior adviser to Mariners GM Bill Bavasi. However, in April 2007, Macha accepted a part-time position as a pre- and post-game analyst for New England Sports Network, which telecasts Boston Red Sox games. On October 30, 2008, the Milwaukee Brewers announced Macha as the Brewers' new manager. Macha's Brewers finished below.500 in both 2009 and 2010. On October 3, 2010, it was confirmed that Macha would not return for the 2011 season.
