The baseball world lost a central figure in the game's history on Saturday, as former longtime Braves manager and Baseball Hall of Famer Bobby Cox died at the age of 84 . Over his 29 big-league seasons as a manager, Cox became synonymous with winning, known for his sometimes turbulent emotions and paternal defense instincts for his players—traits that led to the most ejections in baseball history—and for the way in which he made people feel.

Cox managed many great players over the years, from Dave Stieb to Chipper Jones to Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz and countless others.…