{"id":205548,"date":"2025-09-06T17:45:18","date_gmt":"2025-09-06T17:45:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/205548\/"},"modified":"2025-09-06T17:45:18","modified_gmt":"2025-09-06T17:45:18","slug":"legendary-mets-manager-davey-johnson-dead-at-82","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/205548\/","title":{"rendered":"Legendary Mets manager Davey Johnson dead at 82"},"content":{"rendered":"

Davey Johnson, who made the final out of the 1969 World Series as the Mets won their first world championship and who guided the franchise to its second and most recent World Series title as the team\u2019s manager 17 seasons later, died on Friday, per team historian Jay Horwitz<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He was 82.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A second baseman with the Baltimore Orioles on that October afternoon, Johnson launched a fly ball just in front of the warning track in left field where a genuflecting Cleon Jones made the catch, setting off a raucous celebration that saw thousands of Mets fans stream onto what would become a ravaged Shea Stadium field.\u00a0<\/p>\n

After a successful 13-year major league playing career, Johnson managed the Mets from 1984-90. He also managed the Reds, Orioles, Dodgers and Nationals during a 17-season managerial career, compiling a record of 1,372-1,071.<\/p>\n

Davey Johnson died on Friday. Getty Images<\/p>\n

He was twice named manager of the year, winning the honor in the American League with the Baltimore Orioles in 1997 and in 2012 with the National League\u2019s Washington Nationals.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Johnson was the manager of the Mets\u2019 Triple-A affiliate in Tidewater, Va. when he was tapped to manage the big-league club in 1984, taking over a team that had won just 68 games the previous season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The 1984 Mets would go on to win 90 games, no doubt helped immeasurably by the arrival of 19-year-old Dwight Gooden, who would win 17 games in his rookie season and the continued blossoming of 22-year-old Darryl Strawberry.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It would be the first of five consecutive seasons of 90 or more wins for the Mets under Johnson as he became the only manager in major league history to win 90 or more games in each of his first five seasons.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Johnson\u2019s Mets would twice win 100 games or more (1986, 1988).<\/p>\n

But, with only the division winners qualifying for the playoffs, they would only reach the postseason twice, a track record that led to those teams \u2014 which one writer labeled a \u201ctraveling frat party\u201d \u2014 being viewed as underachievers and the laissez-faire Johnson as an ineffective motivator.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Davey Johnson led the Mets to at least 90 wins each of his first five seasons in charge. Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cI treated my players like men,\u201d he once said. \u201cAs long as they won for me on the field, I didn\u2019t give a flying f\u2013k what they did otherwise.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

That philosophy didn\u2019t sit all that well with Mets management, especially veteran general manager Frank Cashen, and after an 87-win season in 1989 followed by a 20-22 start in 1990, Johnson was fired.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At the time of his dismissal, Johnson had won more games than any manager in baseball over the previous six years and his teams had never finished lower than second in their division, the NL East.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt our ballclub was underachieving,\u201d said Cashen, who replaced Johnson with third-base coach Bud Harrelson. \u201cThe time came to head in a new direction.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

David Allen Johnson was born Jan. 30, 1943, in Orlando, Fla.<\/p>\n

His father, Frederick, was a highly decorated World War II tank commander, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel. His dad left for the war just as Davey was born and spent time in an Italian prisoner of war camp. He later escaped, and lived with the Italian resistance. The son never learned of his father\u2019s wartime exploits until he became an adult.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As the child of an Army officer, Johnson lived on Army bases in Germany, Georgia, Texas, and Wyoming. The family eventually settled in San Antonio, Texas, where Johnson attracted the attention of baseball scouts.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Johnson went to Texas A&M, where he played shortstop for \u201cthe greatest coach in the world, Tom Chandler, a real classic who taught me real respect for the game, and gave me an opportunity to show what I could do.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

After two years in College Station, where he also played guard for the Aggies basketball team, Johnson signed with the Orioles.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Davey Johnson led the Mets to their 1986 World Series title. Getty Images<\/p>\n

He reached the majors with Baltimore in 1965 as a backup infielder, but was sent back to Triple-A after hitting just .170 in 47 at-bats. Johnson was given the second-base job the following season and the Orioles won the World Series, sweeping the Dodgers. Johnson had the distinction of getting the final hit off Sandy Koufax \u2014 a single in Game 3. Koufax retired following that season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With Johnson the Orioles would appear in four World Series, winning in 1966 and \u201870 and losing in \u201869 and \u201871. His best season with the Orioles came in 1970 when he batted .282 with 18 home runs and 72 runs batted in while helping the Orioles to a third straight AL pennant.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He was traded to the Atlanta Braves in 1973 and immediately made an impression on his new league. After never hitting more than 18 home runs in a season with the Orioles, Johnson joined the Braves and hit 43 homers. Johnson, Henry Aaron (40) and Darrell Evans (41) became the first trio of teammates to each hit 40 or more homers in a season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Davey Johnson made four World Series appearances with the Orioles. Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was the greatest thing that ever happened to me in baseball,\u201d Johnson said of the trade, \u201cand the big reason was joining Aaron. He helped make me a better hitter.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

He spent two full seasons with the Braves and, after losing his starting job and appearing in just one game in 1975, abruptly left to play in Japan. After a falling out with his manager there, Johnson resurfaced in the majors with the Phillies in 1977 and was traded to the Cubs that August. He retired following that season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A four-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove winner during his playing career, Johnson finished with a lifetime batting average of .261.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Davey Johnson (R.), Henry Aaron (C.) and Darrell Evans (L.) became the first trio of teammates to each hit 40 or more homers in a season.\u00a0 Focus on Sport via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Davey Johnson managed the Nationals later in his career. Getty Images<\/p>\n

The holder of a mathematics degree from Trinity College in San Antonio, Johnson also had his real estate license and was a licensed pilot and certified scuba instructor. He had become interested in computers while playing for the Orioles and took graduate courses in computer science at Johns Hopkins University. He was among the game\u2019s first managers to rely on computers for information.\u00a0<\/p>\n

After leaving the Mets, Johnson managed the Reds, where he clashed with controversial owner Marge Schott, and the Orioles where he warred with owner Peter Angelos. In Baltimore, Johnson navigated the shifting of future Hall of Famer Cal Ripken from shortstop to third base, an idea Ripken initially resisted.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He also managed the Dodgers and the Nationals, guiding Washington to the best record in baseball in 2012 (98-64) when they lost to the Cardinals in the NL Division Series. His team won 84 games the following year, missed the playoffs and Johnson announced his retirement at the end of the season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Davey Johnson is the winningest manager in Mets history. Getty Images<\/p>\n

As a manager, Johnson\u2019s .562 winning percentage is 10th all time among managers with at least 1,000 victories. Johnson and Baltimore\u2019s Earl Weaver, his manager for almost all his time with the Orioles, are the only men on that list who began their managerial careers after 1960.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Johnson is survived by his wife, Susan. A daughter, Andrea, died in 2005.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m still flabbergasted we lost,\u201d Johnson said of that 1969 World Series. \u201cThat destiny made all sorts of funky things happen. Gusts of wind blowing balls back to their outfielders, [Ron] Swoboda\u2019s diving catch, Al Weis hitting a home run. Our winning just wasn\u2019t meant to be.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Davey Johnson, who made the final out of the 1969 World Series as the Mets won their first…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":205549,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5122],"tags":[5229,1276,113088,1266,405,403,1305,5226,5225,5228,5227,11656,62,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-205548","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-baltimore-orioles","10":"tag-davey-johnson","11":"tag-mlb","12":"tag-new-york","13":"tag-new-york-city","14":"tag-new-york-mets","15":"tag-newyork","16":"tag-newyorkcity","17":"tag-ny","18":"tag-nyc","19":"tag-obits","20":"tag-sports","21":"tag-united-states","22":"tag-united-states-of-america","23":"tag-unitedstates","24":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","25":"tag-us","26":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115158602607483599","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205548","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=205548"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205548\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/205549"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=205548"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=205548"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=205548"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}