Editing Sparky Anderson (section)

===Minor leagues===
In 1964, at the age of 30, Anderson accepted Cooke's offer to manage the Leafs. He later handled minor league clubs at the Class-A and Double-A levels, including a season (1968) in the Reds' minor league system.

During this period, he managed four pennant winners in four consecutive seasons: 1965 with the [[Rock Hill Cardinals]] of the [[Western Carolinas League]], 1966 with the [[St. Petersburg Cardinals]] of the [[Florida State League]], 1967 with the [[Modesto Reds]] of the [[California League]], and 1968 with the [[Asheville Tourists]] of the [[Double-A (baseball)|Double-A]] [[Southern League (1964–2020)|Southern League]]. It was during the 1966 season that Anderson's club lost to Miami 4–3 in 29 innings, which remains the longest pro game played (by innings) without interruption.<ref name=blchron>{{cite news |url=https://baseballbiography.com/sparky-anderson-1934 |title=Sparky Anderson Biography |publisher=Baseball Biography |access-date=2011-10-05 }}</ref>

He made his way back to the majors in 1969 as the [[coach (baseball)|third-base coach]] of the [[San Diego Padres]] during their maiden season in the National League.