As manager
Roy Thomas Hartsfield (October 25,1925 –January 15,2011) 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.
Hartsfield spent the next 19 years in the Dodgers organization as a minor league player,manager and major league coach. In the latter role,he worked under Los Angeles skipper Walter Alston for three seasons.
He later left the Dodgers organization,and worked with the San Diego Padres organization.
In 1977,he became the first manager of the Toronto Blue Jays,helming the club for its first three seasons.
Hartsfield played with the Boston Braves between 1950 and 1952. [1] In 265 career games, [2] he had a .273 batting average, [1] 13 home runs, [1] and 59 runs batted in [2] during his playing career.
Hartsfield was a successful manager at top levels of minor league baseball,with the Spokane Indians,then the top farm team of the Los Angeles Dodgers,and the Hawaii Islanders,the San Diego Padres' top affiliate,where he won Pacific Coast League championships in 1975 and 1976. He also coached in the Majors with the Dodgers (1969–72) and Atlanta Braves (briefly in 1973).
In 1977,Peter Bavasi,general manager of the expansion Toronto Blue Jays,hired Hartsfield,whom he had worked with in the Dodgers and Padres organizations,as the Blue Jays' first-ever manager. Hartsfield was quoted two decades later as saying that "the guys I managed the year before in Hawaii (in the triple-A Pacific Coast League) were probably a better team." [1] Hartsfield led the Blue Jays to a 54–107 record in the 1977 season,45.5 games behind the eventual World Series champion New York Yankees. [1] Notable games from the season include a 9–5 win against the Chicago White Sox on Opening Day and a 19–3 victory over the Yankees on September 10. [1]
The Blue Jays improved slightly in 1978,compiling a 59–103 record, [1] although they still finished the season in last place. [1] The Blue Jays finished second to last in runs scored and earned run average. [1] In 1979,however,the Blue Jays regressed to 53–109,their worst showing yet and the worst showing of any American League team since 1966. Hartsfield was unpopular with the Blue Jays players,and by August the team was in open revolt against him,with players airing their grievances in the media on a near-daily basis. [3]
Having lost over 100 games in each of his three years as manager,and having been very publicly criticized by the Toronto sports media for apparently having lost control of the team,Hartsfield was let go at the conclusion of the 1979 season and replaced by Bobby Mattick. "This year,we should win 10 more games on attitude alone",enthused pitcher Mark Lemongello about the managerial change. [4] In fact,the team improved by 14 games that year.
This would be Hartsfield's only managerial job in Major League Baseball. [1] He compiled a record of 166–318 (.343) in 484 games, [5] giving Hartsfield the worst managerial winning percentage since World War II (among managers with 200 games or more). [6] His teams finished last in the American League East Division in each of his three seasons.
Hartsfield managed in the Chicago Cubs organization in 1981,starting the season with the Triple-A Iowa Oaks and finishing with the Double-A Midland Cubs. Both teams ended up with losing records,as did the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians in 1983,which was Hartsfield's final management job.
Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
TOR | 1977 | 161 | 54 | 107 | .335 | 7th in AL East | — | — | — | — |
TOR | 1978 | 161 | 59 | 102 | .366 | 7th in AL East | — | — | — | — |
TOR | 1979 | 162 | 53 | 109 | .327 | 7th in AL East | — | — | — | — |
Total [1] [5] | 484 | 166 | 318 | .343 | — | 0 | 0 | – | — |
Hartsfield died of liver cancer at his daughter's home in Ball Ground,Georgia,on January 15,2011,at 85. [1]
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.
Lawrence Robert Bowa is an American former professional baseball shortstop,manager,and coach in Major League Baseball (MLB),who played for the Philadelphia Phillies,Chicago Cubs,and New York Mets. Bowa went on to manage the San Diego Padres and Phillies,and is currently a senior advisor to the general manager of the Phillies.
Henry Ramón Blanco is a Venezuelan professional baseball coach and former player. He is currently the catching and strategy coach for the Washington Nationals. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball from 1997 to 2013,appearing for the Los Angeles Dodgers,Colorado Rockies,Milwaukee Brewers,Atlanta Braves,Minnesota Twins,Chicago Cubs,San Diego Padres,New York Mets,Arizona Diamondbacks,Toronto Blue Jays,and Seattle Mariners. He later served as quality assurance coach for the Cubs. Although a light-hitting player,he was regarded as one of the best defensive catchers of his era.
Michael Tyrone Sharperson was an American infielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Toronto Blue Jays (1987),Los Angeles Dodgers (1987–1993) and Atlanta Braves (1995). Sharperson batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Orangeburg,South Carolina.
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.
Christopher Michael Woodward is an American former professional baseball utility player and current coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the Toronto Blue Jays,New York Mets,Atlanta Braves,Seattle Mariners,and Boston Red Sox,from 1999 through 2012. He then served as a coach for the Mariners and Dodgers,from 2014 through 2018 and was the manager of the Texas Rangers from 2019 to 2022. He is currently the first base coach the Dodgers.
Mariano Duncan Nalasco is a Dominican former second baseman and shortstop who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers,Cincinnati Reds,Philadelphia Phillies,New York Yankees,and Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball and the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball during his 12-year career. He was the infield coach and first base coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers under managers Grady Little and Joe Torre. Duncan was an MLB All-Star in 1994 and won two World Series championships as a player.
James David Riggleman is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) manager and bench coach who coached with several teams between 1989 and 2019.
Robert Lane Miller was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher from 1957 to 1974. Miller played for three World Series champions:the 1963 Los Angeles Dodgers,1965 Los Angeles Dodgers and the 1971 Pittsburgh Pirates—five league champions and four division winners,as well as for four teams that lost 100 or more games in a season.
Peter Bavasi is an American former front-office executive in Major League Baseball.
The 2008 Major League Baseball season began on March 25,2008,in Tokyo,Japan with the 2007 World Series champion Boston Red Sox defeating the Oakland Athletics at the Tokyo Dome 6–5 in the first game of a two-game series,and ended on September 30 with the host Chicago White Sox defeating the Minnesota Twins in a one-game playoff to win the AL Central. The Civil Rights Game,an exhibition,in Memphis,Tennessee,took place March 29 when the New York Mets beat the Chicago White Sox,3–2.
The 1992 Major League Baseball season saw the Toronto Blue Jays defeat the Atlanta Braves in the World Series,becoming the first team outside the United States to win the World Series.
The 1991 Major League Baseball season saw the Minnesota Twins defeat the Atlanta Braves for the World Series title,in a series where every game was won by the home team.
The 1990 Major League Baseball season saw the Cincinnati Reds upset the heavily favored Oakland Athletics in the World Series,for their first title since 1976.
The 1987 Major League Baseball season ended with the American League Champion Minnesota Twins winning the World Series over the National League Champion St. Louis Cardinals,four games to three,as all seven games were won by the home team.
In the 1978 Major League Baseball season,the New York Yankees defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers to win their second consecutive World Series,and 22nd overall,in a rematch of the prior season's Fall Classic. The Yankees overcame clubhouse turmoil,a mid-season managerial change,and a 14-game mid-July deficit in the American League East en route to the championship. All four teams that made the playoffs in 1977 returned for this postseason;none of the four returned to the postseason in 1979.
David James Freisleben is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres,Cleveland Indians,and Toronto Blue Jays.
Harry Clinton Warner was an American coach in Major League Baseball and a former first baseman and manager at the minor league level.
Ryan Edward Flaherty is an American professional baseball coach and former infielder. He is the current bench coach for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the Baltimore Orioles,Atlanta Braves,and the Cleveland Indians. Flaherty was a utility player,having played every position except for center field and catcher. Flaherty was the bench coach for the San Diego Padres from 2020 to 2023.
The following are the baseball events of the year 2016 throughout the world.
|