09/06/26 08:52:00
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09/06 20:50 CDT Joe Morgan, former Boston Red Sox manager who led hometown team
to 2 division titles, dies at 95
Joe Morgan, former Boston Red Sox manager who led hometown team to 2 division
titles, dies at 95
BOSTON (AP) --- Joe Morgan, the popular Boston Red Sox manager who guided his
hometown team to a pair of AL East titles, has died. He was 95.
In a statement Sunday, the Red Sox announced that Morgan died Saturday night.
The club was informed by his daughter, Catherine, team spokesperson Abby Murphy
said. No further information was provided.
"Joe Morgan holds a special place in Red Sox history," Principal Owner John
Henry said in the statement. "When he took over in 1988, he changed the course
of a season and created one of the most memorable chapters in the history of
this club. The two division titles that followed only strengthened a bond with
Red Sox fans that endured for the rest of his life. We extend our deepest
condolences to his family and all who loved him."
Morgan played 88 major league games as an infielder with five teams from
1959-64 and then spent 18 years in the Red Sox organization as a manager, coach
and scout from 1974-91.
Along the way, he managed Boston stars such as Wade Boggs, Roger Clemens and
Rich Gedman in both the minors and majors. Morgan was inducted into the team's
Hall of Fame in 2006.
"He was a big part of my life and will be missed," said Boggs, a Hall of Fame
third baseman. "I don't think he got enough credit for how baseball-smart he
was. He played baseball hunches instead of statistics. He will always be one of
my favorites."
Morgan, who was born in Walpole, Massachusetts, and attended Boston College,
became the first base coach for the Red Sox in 1985 and took over as manager on
July 14, 1988.
The team won its next 12 games and 19 of 20 on the way to a division title
before getting swept in four games by the Oakland Athletics in the American
League Championship Series.
"?Morgan Magic' is forever part of Red Sox lore," team chairman Tom Werner
said. "Joe took over in 1988 and gave New England a summer it would never
forget."
Morgan managed the Red Sox to another AL East crown in 1990 before they were
again swept by Oakland in the ALCS. His tenure ended after the 1991 season with
a 301-262 record.
"Joe was a fun manager to play for --- always extremely positive. When you
didn't perform well, he'd say, ?Don't worry about it. You'll be great next time
--- I guarantee it!'" said Clemens, who won the first three of his seven Cy
Young Awards with Boston.
"And yes, when he got the job to manage, he brought the magic! ... Thanks for
everything, Joe!"
Before his promotion to Boston's big league staff in 1983 as a scout, Morgan
managed the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox from 1974-82, becoming the
longest-tenured skipper in club history.
During his playing days, Morgan was signed by the Boston Braves in June 1952.
He batted .193 in the majors with two home runs and 10 RBIs for the Milwaukee
Braves (1959), Kansas City Athletics (1959), Philadelphia Phillies (1960),
Cleveland Indians (1960-61) and St. Louis Cardinals (1964).
He began managing in the minors in 1966.
"Joe Morgan managed the Red Sox during some of my most formative years as a
fan," said Red Sox President & CEO Sam Kennedy. "Joe made us believe, and when
you experience that as a kid, it stays with you. I was fortunate enough to get
to know him later in life and found an even better person than the baseball man
I had admired. I will miss him deeply."
In addition to daughter Catherine, Morgan is survived by his children Joseph
Jr., William and Barbara, six grandchildren and five great grandchildren, the
Red Sox said.
___
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