Cito Gaston
From BR Bullpen
Clarence Edwin Gaston
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 4", Weight 210 lb.
- Debut September 14, 1967
- Final Game October 1, 1978
- Born March 17, 1944 in San Antonio, TX USA
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[edit] Biographical Information
Cito Gaston was the first African-American manager to lead his team to a World Series victory, when he managed the Toronto Blue Jays in 1992, defeating the Atlanta Braves. He repeated the feat with the Jays in 1993, when the Blue Jays prevailed over the Philadelphia Phillies, becoming the first manager since Sparky Anderson to win back to back World Series titles - Sparky did it with the Cincinnati Reds in 1975 and 1976. Gaston was also the Blue Jays hitting coach from 1982 through 1989 and again from 2000 to 2001.
When Gaston first took over for Jimy Williams as manager of the Blue Jays in 1989, the club had been badly unerperforming, mired in last place with a 12-24 record. He turned things around, leading the team to a tremendous comeback in which they passed the surprising division-leading Baltimore Orioles on the season's last week-end to clinch the AL East title. They lost to the Oakland Athletics in the ALCS when Rickey Henderson put in a performance for the ages. The Blue Jays won another division title in 1991; Gaston missed a month of play at the end of the season, when he had to have back surgery; hitting coach Gene Tenace replaced him and kept the team on track. However, they were defeated by the Minnesota Twins in the ALCS.
Gaston failed to find another managerial job after his first stint at the helm of the Blue Jays, something many observers found surprising giving his history of post-season success, while many managers with mediocre winning records were retreaded from team to team. He had to wait for his old team to fall into a serious crisis to receive another chance; on June 20, 2008 he was again named manager of the Toronto Blue Jays, replacing John Gibbons who was fired after the team had compiled a 4-13 record over their past 17 games and dropped to last place in the AL East. He brought in three veteran coaches to assist him, Dwayne Murphy, Nick Leyva and Gene Tenace, to replace Gary Denbo, Marty Pevey and Ernie Whitt, who had been fired alongside Gibbons; Leyva and Tenace had served as coaches for him in his first incarnation as Blue Jay manager.
[edit] Notable Achievements
- NL All-Star (1970)
- 20-Home Run Seasons: 1 (1970)
- Division Titles: 4 (1989 & 1991-1993)
- AL Pennants: 2 (1992 & 1993)
- Managed two World Series Champions with the Toronto Blue Jays (1992 & 1993)
| Preceded by Jimy Williams | Toronto Blue Jays Manager 1989-1997 | Succeeded by Mel Queen |
| Preceded by John Gibbons | Toronto Blue Jays Manager 2008- | Succeeded by Current |
| Blue Jays Hitting Coaches | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous | Current | Next |
| Bobby Doerr | Cito Gaston | Gene Tenace |
| 1982 to 1989 | ||
| Gary Matthews | Cito Gaston | Mike Barnett |
| 2000 to 2001 | ||
[edit] Year-By-Year Managerial Record
| Year | Team | League | Record | Finish | Organization | Playoffs | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Toronto Blue Jays | American League | 77-49 | 1st | Toronto Blue Jays | Lost ALCS | replaced Jimy Williams (12-24) on May 15 |
| 1990 | Toronto Blue Jays | American League | 86-76 | 2nd | Toronto Blue Jays | ||
| 1991 | Toronto Blue Jays | American League | 91-71 | 1st | Toronto Blue Jays | Lost ALCS | includes interim by Gene Tenace (19-14) from August 21 to September 27 |
| 1992 | Toronto Blue Jays | American League | 96-66 | 1std | Toronto Blue Jays | Won World Series | |
| 1993 | Toronto Blue Jays | American League | 95-67 | 1st | Toronto Blue Jays | Won World Series | |
| 1994 | Toronto Blue Jays | American League | 55-60 | 3rd | Toronto Blue Jays | ||
| 1995 | Toronto Blue Jays | American League | 56-88 | 5th | Toronto Blue Jays | ||
| 1996 | Toronto Blue Jays | American League | 74-88 | 4th | Toronto Blue Jays | ||
| 1997 | Toronto Blue Jays | American League | 72-85 | -- | Toronto Blue Jays | replaced by Mel Queen on September 24 | |
| 2008 | Toronto Blue Jays | American League | Toronto Blue Jays | replaced John Gibbons (35-39) on June 20 |
[edit] Related Sites
Categories: Player | Manager | Coach | Famous Firsts
