Lasorda managed just four games in 1976 but won back-to-back pennants in his first two seasons in charge in '77 and '78. Legendary Dodgers manager Walter Alston retired towards the end of the 1976 season, which opened the spot for Lasorda - Alston's third base coach - to take over. However, Lasorda later emerged as one of the best managers in baseball history and remains one of the most beloved figures in the sport. In three MLB seasons, Lasorda was 0-9 with a 6.48 ERA in 58.1 innings. Calling Lasorda a mediocre big-league pitcher would be kind. It's much more common for mediocre big leaguers to find better success on as managers. It's rare for great major league players to become great big league managers. Durocher also is widely credited with coining the term “nice guys finish last." He later managed the Chicago Cubs and helped the club make one of the biggest turnarounds in history, improving from a 103-loss club in 1966 to 87 wins in '67. #Mlb all time manager wins fullLouis Cardinals (with a four-year stint in Cincinnati in between), Durocher helped lead the Brooklyn Dodgers to one NL pennant and two 100-win seasons before moving to the bench full time.ĭurocher had a rocky relationship with Dodgers owner Larry MacPhail, which led to his eventual suspension and subsequent move to manage the rival New York Giants, with whom he won the 1954 World Series in an upset over Al Lopez's 111-win Cleveland Indians. After winning two World Series titles as a light-hitting shortstop with the New York Yankees and St. Like many managers in the first half of the 20th century, Durocher began as a player/manager. In Cleveland, Francona has been named AL Manager of the Year twice (2013, '16), won the AL Central three times, and made the playoffs five times, including a spot in the 2016 Fall Classic. It also broke a streak of 16 winning seasons in a row, dating back to his first year in Boston (2004). Last season's 80-82 record was his first losing campaign in his now-decade-long tenure in Cleveland. He also guided the Red Sox to the 2007 World Series title and posed a 744-552 (.574) record in eight seasons before he and the team parted ways in 2011.įollowing a year as a television analyst, Francona returned to the bench and immediately found success with the Cleveland Indians now Guardians. Tito led the Red Sox to a World Series title in his first season in Boston, breaking an 86-year franchise drought. Francona spent one season on the Detroit Tigers' major league coaching staff, then earned his first big league managerial position with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1997.įrancona was fired after four losing seasons with the Phillies and bounced around three organizations before landing his second job as a manager with the Boston Red Sox in 2004. Philadelphia Phillies, 1997-2000 Boston Red Sox, 2004-11 Cleveland Indians, 2013-PresentĢ World Series titles (2004, '07 Red Sox)Ģ-time AL Manager of the Year (2013, '16)įrancona rose through the ranks and earned a good reputation as a minor league manager in the Chicago White Sox organization (he also managed Michael Jordan with the Birmingham Barons in 1994). Had he been healthy enough to manage another decade or so, he would surely have gone down in history as a top-10 all-time manager. Unfortunately, health issues forced Lopez to permanently retire from managing at 60. He led the Go-Go White Sox to the 1959 World Series, but the team fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games. In fact, Lopez never posted a losing record in a full season as manager. Lopez left Cleveland in 1956 and quickly landed with the Chicago White Sox, with whom he stretched his streak of consecutive winning seasons to 15. Lopez won 88 or more games every year with the Tribe, including the record-setting 111-43 AL pennant-winning club in 1954. 617 winning percentage with the Cleveland Indians, which still stands as the best mark in franchise history. One of the best managers never to win a World Series, Lopez ranks ninth all-time in winning percentage and sits fourth among big league managers who spent more than 2,000 games on the bench.
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