Dick Williams, the hard-nosed Hall of Fame manager who achieved the rare feat of taking three different teams to the World Series, died on Thursday at his home in Las Vegas. He was 82.

His death was reported by Major League Baseball on its Web site. The cause was believed to be a brain aneurysm.

A journeyman outfielder with a weak arm although he played in the major leagues for 13 seasons, Williams studied baseball strategy when he was sitting on the bench. His savvy and intensity served him well in turning losing ball clubs into pennant winners in his 21 seasons as a manager.

Insisting that his players hustle, avoid mental errors and pay attention to fundamentals, Williams took the Boston Red Sox to their “impossible dream” American League pennant of 1967, the Oakland A’s to World Series championships in 1972 and 1973, and the San Diego Padres to the National League pennant in 1984.