| Joe Morgan | |
|---|---|
 Morgan in 2008 | |
| Third baseman /Second baseman /Outfielder /Manager | |
| Born: (1930-11-19)November 19, 1930 (age 95) Walpole, Massachusetts, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 14, 1959, for the Milwaukee Braves | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 3, 1964, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .193 |
| Home runs | 2 |
| Runs batted in | 10 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
As player
As manager As coach | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Joseph Michael Morgan (born November 19, 1930)[1] is an American formerinfielder,manager,coach andscout inMajor League Baseball (MLB).
A native and lifelong resident ofWalpole, Massachusetts, Morgan graduated fromWalpole High School and attendedBoston College, where he played varsityhockey—he was acenter who led the Eagles inpoints as ajunior—as well as baseball.[2] Morgan was also elected as team captain for Boston College's baseball team during his junior year.[3] He signed his first professional baseball contract on June 20, 1952, with his then-hometownNational League team, theBoston Braves.
Morgan stood 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) tall and weighed 170 pounds (77 kg) during his active career. When he made Major League Baseball at age 28 in1959, after military service and a stint in theminor leagues, his parent team had become theMilwaukee Braves.[4]
A left-handed-hittingsecond baseman,third baseman andoutfielder, Morganbatted over the .300 mark three times in the high minors between 1956 and 1959. He could not, however, crack the Braves' lineup, nor those of thePhiladelphia Phillies,Kansas City Athletics,Cleveland Indians andSt. Louis Cardinals. In parts of four Major League seasons, he appeared in 88games, collected 36hits, and batted .193.[5] His two MLBhome runs came during his stint with the1960 Indians within a two-week period, as he hit solo shots offChuck Estrada August 30 andTed Sadowski on September 10.[6] In the latter contest, Morgan's three hits and tworuns scored helped the Indians to a 5–4 victory over theWashington Senators.[7]
In 13 seasons in the minor leagues, Morgan had 1,353 hits (with 117 home runs) and compiled a lifetime batting mark of .278. He was named Most Valuable Player of the Triple-AInternational League in 1964[8] after batting .290 with 16 home runs for theJacksonville Suns.[9]
In 1966, Morgan became a manager in thefarm system of thePittsburgh Pirates, rising in 1970 toTriple-A with theColumbus Jets of the International League.[10] In 1971, he moved with the Jets toCharleston, West Virginia, and became skipper of theCharleston Charlies.[11]
Morgan was called to the Major Leagues to serve as a Pittsburgh coach underBill Virdon in1972,[12] when the Pirates won theNational League East Division title but fell in the1972 NLCS to theCincinnati Reds. Morgan then returned to the minors as the Pirates' Triple-A manager. In 1973, his Charlies won 85 games and the division title,[13] but lost in the International League playoffs to thePawtucket Red Sox in five games.[14] Nevertheless, Morgan was selected Minor League Manager of the Year for 1973 byThe Sporting News.[15]
Morgan joined theBoston Red Sox organization the following season. He led thePawSox—located 24 miles (38 km) from his Walpole hometown—for nine years (1974–82), the longest-tenured manager in the franchise's history. Morgan won 601 games, losing 658 (.477)[16] and was the Pawtucket skipper during itsfamous 33-inning game againstRochester in1981, though he was ejected in the 22nd.[17] He won theInternational League Manager of the Year Award in 1977.[18]
The parent Red Sox reassigned Morgan after the 1982 season, making him a scout for 1983–84 before he was finally invited to return to the Majors as Boston's first-base coach in1985. He worked as the team'sbullpen coach during the Red Sox'1986 pennant-winning season, then replacedRene Lachemann as Boston's third-base coach in1987.[19]
In1988, a Boston team was at one game over .500 under managerJohn McNamara, leading the ownership to fire him during theAll-Star break. They named Morgan acting manager July 14 and began negotiations with high-profile candidates, such asJoe Torre andLou Piniella, who were under contract to other organizations. The Red Sox won their first 12 games under Morgan – a period dubbed by the press asMorgan Magic – and the team named him as their permanent field boss.[20] The1988 Red Sox won theAL East, but were swept by theOakland Athletics in theAmerican League Championship Series; two years later, the1990 Sox repeated history, winning their division but bowing in four straight to the A's in theplayoffs. Collectively, the Red Sox were 0–8 in the post season under Morgan, an American League record.
In1991, Morgan guided aBoston team to a second-place finish in the AL East. The team had difficulties in June and July before maneuvering their way back in early September; as late as the 21st, they were just a half game behind Toronto in the East.[21] However, they lost 11 of their last 14 games and finished seven games behind Toronto. Although he had one year remaining on his contract, he was fired at season's end in favor ofButch Hobson. Under Hobson, the1992 Red Sox finished last in the AL East.[22]
Morgan's final big league managerial totals: 301–262 (.535) over3+1⁄2 years, all with the Red Sox.[23] His record as a minor league manager over 16 seasons (1966–71; 1973–82) was 1,140 victories and 1,102 defeats (.508)[24] with one league championship (with theYork Pirates of theDouble-AEastern League in 1969).
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| BOS | 1988 | 77 | 46 | 31 | .597 | 1st in AL East | 0 | 4 | .000 | LostALCS (OAK) |
| BOS | 1989 | 162 | 83 | 79 | .512 | 3rd in AL East | – | – | – | – |
| BOS | 1990 | 162 | 88 | 74 | .543 | 1st in AL East | 0 | 4 | .000 | LostALCS (OAK) |
| BOS | 1991 | 162 | 84 | 78 | .519 | 3rd in AL East | – | – | – | – |
| Total | 563 | 301 | 262 | .535 | 0 | 8 | .000 | |||
Morgan was called "Walpole Joe," as well as "Turnpike Joe" in tribute to the offseason job he held for many years to supplement his minor league pay: driving asnowplow on theMassachusetts Turnpike.[25] The nicknames also served to prevent any confusion withBaseball Hall of Fame second basemanJoe Morgan. His phrases became part ofNew England folklore, such as "I'm the skipper of this nine!", and "Roger spun another beauty", describing one of the outings by his starpitcher,Roger Clemens.[26]
In 2006, he was named to theBoston Red Sox Hall of Fame[27] and the Walpole High School Hockey Hall of Fame. Morgan was inducted into the International League Hall of Fame in 2008.[28] On July 30, 2013, the Red Sox honored him with "Joe Morgan Night" atFenway Park, with Clemens among the former players participating in the festivities.[29]
· Baseball Almanac, orRetrosheet| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Columbus Jetsmanager 1970 | Succeeded by Franchise relocated |
| Preceded by Franchise established Red Davis | Charleston Charliesmanager 1971 1973 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Pawtucket Red Soxmanager 1974–1982 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Boston Red Soxfirst-base coach 1985 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Boston Red Soxbullpen coach 1986 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Boston Red Soxthird-base coach 1987–1988 | Succeeded by |