| Cito Gaston | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Outfielder /Manager | |
| Born: (1944-03-17)March 17, 1944 (age 81) San Antonio, Texas, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 14, 1967, for the Atlanta Braves | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 1, 1978, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .256 |
| Home runs | 91 |
| Runs batted in | 387 |
| Managerial record | 894–837 |
| Winning % | .516 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Managerial record at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
As player
As manager As coach | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Member of the Canadian | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 2002 |
Clarence Edwin "Cito" Gaston (/ˈsiːtoʊˈɡæstən/; born March 17, 1944) is an American formerMajor League Baseballoutfielder, coach andmanager. His major league career as a player lasted from 1967 to 1978, most notably with theSan Diego Padres andAtlanta Braves. He spent his entire managerial career with theToronto Blue Jays, becoming the first African-American manager in Major League Baseball history to win aWorld Series title.
Gaston managed the Toronto Blue Jays from 1989 to 1997, then again from 2008 to 2010. During this time, he managed the Blue Jays to fourAmerican League East division titles (1989, 1991, 1992 and 1993), twoAmerican League pennants (1992 and 1993) and two World Series titles (1992 and 1993).
Gaston grew up in San Antonio andCorpus Christi, Texas, where his father was asemi-truck driver. His career ambitions were either to be a truck driver like his father, or make it into the Major Leagues. He adopted his nickname 'Cito' in preference to his given name 'Clarence'. Gaston later toldToronto Blue Jays broadcasters the name was taken from aMexican-American wrestler he watched as a young man in Texas. Other reports state Gaston was given this nickname from a friend named Carlos Thompson who thought Gaston resembled a well known Mexican wrestler named "Cito".[1][2]
As a player with theAtlanta Braves, he was the roommate ofHank Aaron. Gaston credits Aaron with teaching him "how to be a man; how to stand on my own."[3]
Gaston has been married three times. His first marriage ended in divorce with Gaston citing his baseball career as the reason.[1] His second marriage to a Canadian woman, Denise, lasted from the early 80s to the early 2000s.[1] Since 2003, Gaston has been married to Lynda,[4] both residing inOldsmar, Florida.[1][5]
Primarily acenter fielder, Gaston began his decade-long playing career in1967 with theAtlanta Braves, appearing in nine games. The following year he was selected by theSan Diego Padres in theexpansion draft, first playing for them in1969. He had his best individual season in1970, when hebatted .318 (the highest batting average by a Padre prior toTony Gwynn's arrival[6]) with 29home runs, 92runs scored and 93RBI, and was selected to theNational LeagueAll-Star team. The rest of Gaston's career did not live up to his All-Star season success. Gaston never hit more than 17 home runs or knocked in more than 61 runs in any season with the Padres (until1974) or the Braves (1975–1978).[7]
In theVenezuelan Professional Baseball League, Gaston played with theCardenales de Lara (1967–68), theNavegantes del Magallanes (1968–72, 1975–76) and theTiburones de La Guaira (1976–77).[8] Gaston hit 31 home runs and drove in 207 runs in 310 games (regular season).[8]
Gaston became the hittingcoach for theToronto Blue Jays in1982. The Blue Jays won their first division title in 1985 with Gaston as hitting coach.He remained the hitting instructor until May 151989, when he took over managerial duties fromJimy Williams, when the team was suffering through an unexpectedly bad start. Gaston originally declined the offer to be manager when Williams was fired. He toldEbony magazine: "When I was offered the job as manager, I didn't want it. I was happy working as the team's hitting instructor".[3] It was only when his players encouraged him to take the job did he reconsider the offer.
Gaston was able to take superstars and mold them into a team. Under Gaston's leadership, Toronto transformed from a sub-.500 team (12–24 under Jimy Williams) to the eventual division winners, going 89–73 (77–49 under Gaston).[9] Toronto's success under Gaston was not short-lived, as they finished second in the division behindBoston the following year and won the division again in1991,1992 and1993.[9]
As a coach and manager, Gaston was considered a player's manager. He was a soft-spoken and steady influence during years that saw a large group of talented, high-salaried players grace the Blue Jays uniform. The franchise led the Major Leagues in attendance each year from 1989 to 1992, setting new records each of the latter three years, riding high from a dedicated fan base and following the Blue Jays' move into theSkyDome a few weeks after Gaston became manager. The resulting financial success allowed for major free agent signings, includingJack Morris andDave Winfield ahead of the 1992 season, andDave Stewart andPaul Molitor for 1993. The Blue Jays also retained core All-Stars such asJoe Carter,Devon White,Roberto Alomar, andJohn Olerud. Carter credits Gaston for the team's championships:
Cito knows how to work with each individual, treating everyone like a human being. He knows exactly what to say, when to say it, what to do and how to go about doing it. When you have a manager like that, it makes you want to play for the guy. We'd go to war for him. What Cito has done for the Blue Jays can't be taken lightly.[3]
Gaston had worked with players at an individual level as a hitting instructor and did the same as manager. He was known for his open communication with his players.[10] He was a successful game strategist, effectively handlingNational League rules during World Series games inAtlanta andPhiladelphia. In the six road games during World Series play, the Jays went 4–2, including the title clincher in Game 6 of the1992 World Series in Atlanta. The 1992 World Series victory was the first for a non-American team, and Gaston wasthe first African-American manager to win a World Series. The Blue Jays followed their 1992 success with a repeat victory in the1993 World Series, an impressive feat, given that the Jays had lost starting position playersManuel Lee,Kelly Gruber,Candy Maldonado and Dave Winfield, starting pitchersJimmy Key,David Cone andDave Stieb, relieversTom Henke andDavid Wells and bench playersDerek Bell andPat Tabler during the off-season following 1992.
Gaston managed the American League team in the 1993 and 1994 All-Star Games, since he was the manager of the American League champions in 1992 and 1993. He was criticized for selecting six Blue Jays to the 1993 roster, but was unapologetic, stating all six were World Champions and two were future Hall of Famers. Gaston's prediction proved correct, as two of those players (Roberto Alomar andPaul Molitor) have been voted into theNational Baseball Hall of Fame.
In the1993 All-Star Game held atOriole Park at Camden Yards, he was criticized for not getting OriolespitcherMike Mussina into the game. Mussina got up in the ninth inning to warm up in thebullpen.[11] Mussina later claimed that he was simply doing a between-start workout, but some interpreted it as an attempt to force Gaston to put him into the game. As angry fans jeered in dismay, incredulous that Gaston would not use the popular local player and believing Mussina had been sent to warm up for no reason, Gaston instead allowed Blue Jays pitcherDuane Ward to close out the victory for the American League. Orioles fans did not like this perceived snub, later wearing T-shirts that said "Cito sucks" and carrying signs with the phrase, "Will Rogers never met Cito Gaston", referencing Rogers' famous line, "I never met a man yet that I didn't like."[12]
Gaston's fortunes, like those of the Blue Jays franchise as a whole, faded after the championship years. The World Series winning clubs had dissipated because of aging players, increased post-Series salary demands, and the failure of new ownerInterbrew (which acquired founding ownerLabatt in 1995) to raise the budget substantially. AfterMajor League Baseball solved its labor problems in 1994,Pat Gillick and eventuallyPaul Beeston left the organization and annual attendance began to drop considerably, but the Blue Jays were still trying to compete in the American League East and in 1997 signed free agentRoger Clemens. In April of that year, during a pre-game interview, Gaston accused specific members of Toronto's sports media (Toronto Sun columnistSteve Simmons,The Globe and Mail sports editor Dave Langford, andFan 590 sports talk show hostBob McCown) of racism against him, stating "There's a couple (of sports writers) who continue to take shots at me for no reason at all. I just wonder if they would take the same shot at me if I was white."[13] After the game against the Oakland A's on April 17, Gaston spoke briefly about his pre-game comments. "I've got one statement that I'm going to say, and I'm not going to say another word", Gaston said. "Whatever has been said, whatever has been written, if it has offended someone and it's unjustly offended them, I apologize. If it hasn't, then I don't apologize."[13]
Gaston had been criticized for not giving playing time to young players such asShawn Green andCarlos Delgado.[14] When the team could not stay over the .500 mark, Gaston was fired by Gillick's successor as general manager,Gord Ash. Gaston forced Ash's hand by telling his boss that he was taking a vacation at season's end and would not be around for the usual post season evaluation process. He was replaced by then-pitching coachMel Queen on an interim basis for the last week of the1997 season. Joe Carter wore Gaston's No. 43 on his jersey for the remainder of the season in part to honor him and in part to express his displeasure at his firing.[15] Gaston finished his first stint as manager with a 683–636 regular season record and 18–16 post–season record.[9]
Gaston was a final candidate for theDetroit Tigers manager's job in the 1999–2000[16] season and was the runner-up in theChicago White Sox manager position in the 2003–2004 off season. Sox GMKenny Williams, who had played under Gaston in Toronto, had him as of two finalists for the job but decided to hireOzzie Guillén.[17][18] Gaston had several offers to rejoin major league teams as a hitting instructor, namely theKansas City Royals, but declined offers. After interviewing unsuccessfully for several other managerial jobs, Gaston said that he would only manage again if he were hired directly without an interview.[19][20] Gaston turned down an opportunity with theLos Angeles Dodgers in 2004.[21]
Gaston rejoined the team as a hitting coach after the1999 season under managerBuck Martinez but was not retained after a disappointing2001 campaign and the sale of the franchise toRogers Communications. In 2002, he was hired by the Jays for a third time, as special assistant to president and chief executive officerPaul Godfrey.[22]
On June 20, 2008, Gaston was rehired as the manager of the Blue Jays to replaceJohn Gibbons. It was his first managerial job at the major-league level since being fired by the Blue Jays 11 years earlier, which was unusual for a World Series-winning manager.[23] The team's record was 35–39 when Gaston and his coaching staff took over, after which the Blue Jays went 51–37 for the remainder of the season which included a late ten-game winning streak and the team finished fourth in the American League East.[9] On September 25, 2008, it was announced that Gaston had signed a two-year extension that would keep him as manager until 2010.[24] He announced on October 30, 2009, that he would retire after the 2010 season.[25]
The 2009 season started with promise, as they were in 1st place of the AL East after winning 27 of their first 41 games. However, a May sweep at the hands of the Red Sox started a slog in which they went on a nine-game losing streak. The division lead faltered not long after that, and by the All-Star break they were under .500, which they stayed for the rest of the season. Their finish of 75-87 was the first losing season for the Jays since 2005.[26] On October 3, an online column byFox Sports baseball writerKen Rosenthal reported of a mutiny in the Blue Jays' clubhouse against Gaston by his players and some members of his coaching staff. Rosenthal cited unnamed sources who claimed that the mutiny was a result of his impatience with the players after they started losing, partially reflected with players getting less playing time,[27] his lack of communication, including his inability to properly communicate substitutions,[27] and his negativity, especially when it came to the younger players who required more positive reinforcement.[27] A day after the report, Blue Jaysfirst basemanLyle Overbay was quoted as being one of the players who was surprised over his lack of playing time as well as wanting Gaston to improve his communication, stating "More than anything, I want to try to figure out what to expect for next year. It kind of caught me off-guard a little bit when I wasn't playing. ... (Gaston) never really said a lot. As we were winning, he was kind of sitting on the back burner, watching us play good."[28] When asked about the report on the clubhouse mutiny, Gaston replied that he was surprised that such criticism existed. "If you've got two or three or four guys in there that have a problem, then you don't have to win anything, do you? You might have to certainly deal with those guys, but you don't have to win the clubhouse back. I don't think that you can ... rely (on a few) players to find out (if there's a problem). I think you need to talk to all of them. If it comes up to 50 percent, then, hey, maybe we've got a problem. I'd like to know what the problem is because I can't be any fairer than I've been."[28] It was also reported that the discord came between holdover coaches from the previous Jays manager inJohn Gibbons with pitching coachBrad Arnsberg and bench coachBrian Butterfield and Gaston and his side of coaches such asGene Tenace. Later in the month, with the Jays hiring a new general manager inAlex Anthopoulos to replaceJ.P. Ricciardi, it was announced that Gaston would fulfill the last season of his contract for 2010 while shuffling a few members of his coaching staff (such as firing Arnsberg along with Tenace retiring) before Gaston would become a consultant effective in 2011.[29]
The 2010 season saw them play moderately better, albeit with the same finish as before. They never led the division after April nor fell too far under .500, having just one losing month in June while finishing 4th with a record of 85-77.[30] On June 1, Fan 590 broadcasterMike Wilner had an argument during a media scrum with Gaston about his field level decision making. Wilner detailed the confrontation on his blog.[31] The following day, Fan 590 - a station of Blue Jays ownerRogers Communications - announced he would not be covering the team for several days, but refused to specify the reason.[32]
Gaston retired following the 2010 season.
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| TOR | 1989 | 126 | 77 | 49 | .611 | 1st in AL East | 1 | 4 | .200 | LostALCS (OAK) |
| TOR | 1990 | 162 | 86 | 76 | .531 | 2nd in AL East | – | – | – | – |
| TOR | 1991 | 129 | 72 | 57 | .558 | 1st in AL East | 1 | 4 | .200 | LostALCS (MIN) |
| TOR | 1992 | 162 | 96 | 66 | .593 | 1st in AL East | 8 | 4 | .667 | WonWorld Series (ATL) |
| TOR | 1993 | 162 | 95 | 67 | .586 | 1st in AL East | 8 | 4 | .667 | WonWorld Series (PHI) |
| TOR | 1994 | 115 | 55 | 60 | .478 | 3rd in AL East | – | – | – | – |
| TOR | 1995 | 144 | 56 | 88 | .389 | 5th in AL East | – | – | – | – |
| TOR | 1996 | 162 | 74 | 88 | .457 | 4th in AL East | – | – | – | – |
| TOR | 1997 | 157 | 72 | 85 | .459 | fired | – | – | – | – |
| TOR | 2008 | 88 | 51 | 37 | .580 | 4th in AL East | – | – | – | – |
| TOR | 2009 | 162 | 75 | 87 | .463 | 4th in AL East | – | – | – | – |
| TOR | 2010 | 162 | 85 | 77 | .525 | 4th in AL East | – | – | – | – |
| Total[9] | 1731 | 894 | 837 | .516 | 18 | 16 | .529 | |||
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| Sporting positions | ||
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| Preceded by | Toronto Blue Jayshitting coach 1982–1989 2000–2001 | Succeeded by |
