The Toronto Blue Jays are members of the American League (AL) East Division in Major League Baseball (MLB). There have been 14 different managers of the Blue Jays, the only Canadian baseball franchise in Major League Baseball. In baseball, the head coach of a team is called the manager (or more formally, the field manager). They are the only team outside the United States to win a World Series, and the first team to win a World Series in Canada. [1] John Schneider was the interim manager, until the club named him their full time manager in the off season and giving him a three-year contract after, replacing Charlie Montoyo; Montoyo was fired on July 13, 2022.
Cito Gaston has both managed and won the most games of any Blue Jays manager, with 1,731 games and 894 wins. He is followed by John Gibbons in both categories, with 1,258 games and 644 wins, who surpassed Bobby Cox's marks during his second stint as manager. Gaston is the only Blue Jays manager to win a World Series in 1992 and 1993, the fourth African-American manager in MLB history, and was the first African-American manager to win a World Series. [2] [3] Cox is the only Blue Jays manager to be awarded the AL Manager of the Year Award in 1985. Mel Queen has the best winning percentage by winning 80 percent of his 5 games coached.
The first manager of the Blue Jays was Roy Hartsfield. While his tenure was marked by conflict between players and last place finishes, Hartsfield was supported by general manager Pat Gillick as they worked on the same long term management strategy: developing young players around which to build a team. [4] Following the 1979 season, the Blue Jays opted not to renew his contract but offered him a position within the organization, which he declined. [5] Bobby Mattick served as manager on subsequent one-year contracts until Bobby Cox became available. [6] As Mattick accepted an executive position in the Blue Jays organization, Cox signed a one-year contract, [7] which was extended until the 1985 season as he led the team out of last place for the first time, and into the playoffs in 1985. Shortly after Cox unexpectedly left the Blue Jays organization for the general manager position with the Atlanta Braves, third base coach Jimy Williams took over as manager. [8] [9] Following late-season collapses in 1987 and 1988, and a poor start to the 1989 season, Williams was fired and hitting coach Cito Gaston took over. [10] Gaston managed the team for nine seasons, including two World Series wins, though batting coach Gene Tenace did substitute for him for several weeks in 1991 when Gaston was hospitalized with back pains. [11]
In 1997, with the team in last place, Gaston was fired by general manager Gord Ash with 5 games remaining; pitching coach Mel Queen finished the season as manager. [12] Ash, seeking a more aggressive management style, hired Tim Johnson for his breadth of experience and communication skills. [13] Following an admission to lying about aspects of his military experience, a tactic he used to motivate players, [14] he was fired during spring training in 1999 and Jim Fregosi was signed to a two-year contract. When Rogers Communications acquired the Blue Jays organization, among other management changes, Fregosi was replaced with Buck Martinez. [15] In June 2002, as the team was struggling, new general manager J. P. Ricciardi fired Martinez and replaced him with third base coach Carlos Tosca. [16] Tosca, and his successor John Gibbons, each managed the team for several seasons but both were fired mid-season as the team struggled: Tosca in August 2004 replaced by first base coach Gibbons, and Gibbons in June 2008 replaced by former manager Gaston. Following Gaston's retirement at the end of the 2010 season, former Boston Red Sox pitching coach, John Farrell was introduced as the new manager of the Toronto Blue Jays. [17]
# | Number of coaches [a] |
GM | Regular-season games managed |
W | Regular-season wins |
L | Regular-season losses |
Win% | Regular season winning percentage |
PGM | Playoff games managed |
PW | Playoff wins |
PL | Playoff losses |
Note: Statistics are correct as of October 2nd, 2023
# [a] | Image | Name | Term | GM | W | L | Win% | PGM [18] | PW [18] | PL [18] | Achievements |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() | Roy Hartsfield * | 1977–1979 | 484 | 116 | 318 | .240 | — | — | — | |
2 | Bobby Mattick | 1980–1981 | 268 | 104 | 164 | .388 | — | — | — | ||
3 | ![]() | Bobby Cox | 1982–1985 | 647 | 355 | 292 | .549 | 7 | 3 | 4 | AL East Division Championship (1985) 1985 AL Manager of the Year [19] |
4 | ![]() | Jimy Williams | 1986–1989 | 522 | 281 | 241 | .538 | — | — | — | |
5 | ![]() | Cito Gaston | 1989–1991 | 417 | 235 | 182 | .564 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 2 AL East Division Championships (1989, 1991) |
6 | ![]() | Gene Tenace [b] | 1991 | 33 | 19 | 14 | .576 | — | — | — | |
— | ![]() | Cito Gaston | 1992–1997 | 902 | 448 | 454 | .497 | 24 | 16 | 8 | 2 World Series Championships (1992, 1993) |
7 | Mel Queen | 1997 | 5 | 4 | 1 | .800 | — | — | — | ||
8 | ![]() | Tim Johnson | 1998 | 162 | 88 | 74 | .543 | — | — | — | |
9 | ![]() | Jim Fregosi | 1999–2000 | 324 | 167 | 157 | .515 | — | — | — | |
10 | ![]() | Buck Martinez | 2001–2002 | 215 | 100 | 115 | .465 | — | — | — | |
11 | ![]() | Carlos Tosca | 2002–2004 | 382 | 191 | 191 | .500 | — | — | — | |
12 | ![]() | John Gibbons | 2004–2008 | 610 | 305 | 305 | .500 | — | — | — | |
— | ![]() | Cito Gaston | 2008–2010 | 412 | 211 | 201 | .512 | — | — | — | |
13 | ![]() | John Farrell | 2011–2012 | 324 | 154 | 170 | .475 | — | — | — | |
— | ![]() | John Gibbons | 2013–2018 | 972 | 488 | 484 | .502 | 20 | 10 | 10 | AL East Division Champions (2015) AL Wild Card Winner (2016) |
14 | ![]() | Charlie Montoyo | 2019–2022 | 472 | 236 | 236 | .500 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
15 | John Schneider | 2022–present | 236 | 135 | 101 | .572 | 4 | 0 | 4 | ||
Leo Ernest Whitt is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), including twelve for the Toronto Blue Jays, and was the last player from the franchise's inaugural season of 1977 to remain through 1989. Whitt was inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009.
John Paul Ricciardi is an American Major League Baseball executive currently serving as a special advisor to the president of baseball operations with the San Francisco Giants. He previously served as the general manager of the Toronto Blue Jays from 2001 to 2009.
James Louis "Jim" Fregosi was an American professional baseball shortstop and manager, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1961 to 1978, primarily for the Los Angeles / California Angels. He also played for the New York Mets, Texas Rangers, and Pittsburgh Pirates.
John Michael Gibbons is an American professional baseball player, coach, and manager. Gibbons played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a catcher with the New York Mets in 1984 and 1986.
Robert James Mattick was an American professional baseball player, scout, and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a shortstop for the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds. After his playing career, he most notably worked in the Toronto Blue Jays organization, including two seasons as the team's manager.
Clarence Edwin "Cito" Gaston is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder, coach and manager. His major league career as a player lasted from 1967 to 1978, most notably with the San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves. He spent his entire managerial career with the Toronto Blue Jays, becoming the first African-American manager in Major League Baseball history to win a World Series title.
Fury Gene Tenace, better known as Gene Tenace, is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played as a catcher and first baseman in Major League Baseball from 1969 through 1983, most notably as a member of the Oakland Athletics dynasty that won three consecutive World Series championships between 1972 and 1974.
James Francis Williams was an American professional baseball infielder, coach and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1966 and 1967 and managed the Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, and Houston Astros.
Dwayne Keith Murphy is an American former professional baseball player who spent most of his career playing for the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder.
Carlos Tosca is a Cuban Field Coach for the GCL Orioles. He is a former Major League and minor league baseball manager.
Roy Thomas Hartsfield was an American second baseman and manager in Major League Baseball; his MLB playing and managing careers each lasted three years. Hartsfield played his entire major league career with the Boston Braves from 1950 to 1952. He was then traded to the Brooklyn Dodgers for outfielder Andy Pafko.
The Pearson Cup was an annual midseason Major League Baseball rivalry between former Canadian rivals, the Toronto Blue Jays and Montreal Expos. Named after former Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson, it was originally created to raise money for minor league baseball in Canada. In later years, it was incorporated into the interleague baseball schedule.
Marty Ashley Pevey is an American professional baseball manager and former Major League catcher and coach. He has been the manager of the Chicago Cubs' Triple-A affiliate, the Iowa Cubs of the International League, since 2013. Pevey stood 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) tall and weighed 185 pounds (84 kg); he batted left-handed and threw right-handed.
The 2004 Toronto Blue Jays season was the franchise's 28th season of Major League Baseball. It resulted in the Blue Jays finishing fifth in the American League East with a record of 67 wins and 94 losses, their worst record since 1980. The Blue Jays' radio play-by-play announcer, Tom Cheek, called every Blue Jays game from the team's inaugural contest on April 7, 1977, until June 3, 2004, when he took two games off following the death of his father – a streak of 4,306 consecutive regular season games and 41 postseason games. It was the team's first season where Ace is the sole mascot, following the removal of Diamond at the end of the previous season.
The 1991 Toronto Blue Jays season was the franchise's 15th season of Major League Baseball. It resulted in the Blue Jays finishing first in the American League East with a record of 91 wins and 71 losses. The team's paid attendance of 4,001,527 led the major leagues, as the Jays became the first team in MLB history to draw four million fans in a season. Toronto lost the ALCS to the eventual world champion Minnesota Twins in five games.
Peter Bavasi is an American former front-office executive in Major League Baseball.
The 1978 Atlanta Braves season was the 108th season for the franchise and their 13th in Atlanta.
José Carlos Montoyo Díaz is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball second baseman and coach. He is currently the bench coach of the Chicago White Sox, and was previously the manager of the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB).
The Toronto Blue Jays came into existence in 1976, as one of two teams slated to join the American League for the following season, via the 1977 Major League Baseball expansion.
Harry Clinton Warner was an American coach in Major League Baseball and a former first baseman and manager at the minor league level.