| Pat Gillick | |
|---|---|
 Gillick at the 2008 Phillies World Series parade | |
| General manager | |
| Born: (1937-08-22)August 22, 1937 (age 88) Chico, California, U.S. | |
| Teams | |
As general manager
As president | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Member of the National | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 2011 |
| Vote | 81.3% |
| Election method | Expansion Era Committee[1] |
Lawrence Patrick David Gillick (born August 22, 1937) is an American professionalbaseball executive. He served as thegeneral manager of four MLB teams: theToronto Blue Jays (1978–1994),Baltimore Orioles (1996–1998),Seattle Mariners (2000–2003), andPhiladelphia Phillies (2006–2008). He guided the Blue Jays toWorld Series championships in1992 and1993 and the Phillies in2008. He is a minority owner of the Phillies.
Gillick was inducted into theNational Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011, theCanadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997, theOntario Sports Hall of Fame in 2013, the Toronto Blue Jays Level of Excellence in 1997, and thePhillies Wall of Fame in 2018.
Before working as an executive, he won a college national championship as a pitcher for theUniversity of Southern California (USC) Trojans in 1958.
Gillick was born to former minor league baseball player Larry Gillick inChico, California. In 1951, he earned hisEagle Scout from the Boy Scouts of America. He continued to stay involved in Scouting and received theOrder of the Arrow'sVigil Honor mere months after winning the College World Series at USC. After graduating fromNotre Dame High School inSherman Oaks, California, he hitchhiked toVulcan, Alberta, to toil as a kid pitcher with the semi-pro Vulcan Elks of the Foothills-Wheatbelt League. Gillick had to wire his grandmother for $25 to finance his last leg from Montana to Vulcan.[2] In 1956 while playing for Vulcan Elks, Gillick was picked up by George Wesley of the Granum White Sox to pitch in tournaments. He threw a no hitter in Medicine Hat, fanned 17 batters in Calgary and pitched Granum to an 18–1 victory in Fernie.[citation needed]
He attendedUSC and joined theDelta Chi Fraternity. He graduated in 1958 with a degree inbusiness. He was also a giftedpitcher, playing on the1958 national title baseball team at USC. He spent five years in the minor league systems of theBaltimore Orioles andPittsburgh Pirates, venturing as high as Triple-A.[3] A left-hander, Gillick posted a win–loss record of 45–32 with anearned run average of 3.42 in 164 minor league games.[citation needed]
Gillick retired from playing and began a front-office career in 1963, when he became the assistant farm director with theHouston Colt .45s. He would eventually work his way up to the position of director of scouting before moving to theNew York Yankees system in 1974, as a coordinator of player development. In 1976, he moved, this time to the expansionToronto Blue Jays, becoming their vice-president of player personnel, and in 1977, their vice-president of baseball operations and general manager. In 1984, he was named executive vice-president of baseball operations.
As Toronto's general manager, Gillick won five division titles (1985,1989,1991,1992 and1993) and led the club to their firstWorld Series championships in1992 and1993. Shortly after Gillick resigned in1994, the Blue Jays went into decline, not finishing higher than third place until2006, and failing to make the playoffs until2015.
In 1995, Gillick was named the general manager of theBaltimore Orioles to replaceRoland Hemond, who had resigned.[4][5] He cited the fact that they were close to winning a championship as a factor to his decision to come out of retirement.[5] He guided the Orioles to the playoffs in1996 and1997. He announced on September 20, 1998 his departure from the Orioles when his three-year contract expired after the conclusion of the1998 season.[6][7] The Orioles struggled shortly after his departure, failing to achieve a winning season until 2012.[8]
Gillick then became the general manager of theSeattle Mariners, who had parlayed their incredible1995 playoff run into a new ballpark and the financial resources to become a perennial contender. Upon his hiring, the responsibility fell on Gillick to tradeKen Griffey Jr. toCincinnati after Griffey played out his final season in Seattle. The Mariners made back-to-back playoff appearances for the first (and only) time in franchise history in2000 and2001, and the 2001 team, with a 116–46 record, tied the1906 Chicago Cubs for the all-timeMajor League Baseball record for most wins in a single season. However, the Mariners failed to make it past theAmerican League Championship Series in either year and did not make the playoffs for the rest of Gillick's tenure as general manager and advisor. Gillick resigned after the 2003 season.[9][3] Following his departure, the Mariners would not reach the playoffs again until2022.[10]
On November 2, 2005, Gillick was named thePhiladelphia Phillies' general manager. His first big move was to tradeJim Thome and cash to theChicago White Sox forAaron Rowand andGio González and Daniel Haigwood, being a move which cleared the way for Phillies' Rookie of the YearRyan Howard to become the permanent starter. Howard would be namedNL MVP that year.[11]
Gillick had permanent residence in Toronto with his wife Doris, however they have since relocated toSeattle after he became the Phillies general manager. He had become a Canadian citizen in 2004.
Gillick retired from his position as general manager after leading the Phillies to aWorld Series championship in 2008. Assistant general managerRubén Amaro Jr. was named his successor. Gillick remained with the Phillies as a senior advisor to Amaro and presidentDavid Montgomery. In August 2014, Gillick became interim president of the Phillies while Montgomery was on medical leave.[12] In January 2015, Montgomery returned but became Phillies chairman, while Gillick assumed the club presidency on a permanent basis.[13] Gillick returned to his senior advisor role after the Phillies promotedAndy MacPhail to president after the 2015 season.[14][15] Gillick is a minority owner of the Phillies.[16][17][18]
Beginning in 2016, Gillick served as part-owner of teams in the collegiate woodbatGreat West League such as theChico Heat andYuba-Sutter Gold Sox.[19] He won championships with the Heat in the league's inaugural season in 2016 and their final season in 2018.[20]
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Toronto Blue JaysGeneral manager 1978–1994 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Baltimore OriolesGeneral manager 1995–1998 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Seattle MarinersGeneral manager 1999–2003 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Philadelphia PhilliesGeneral manager 2005–2008 | Succeeded by |
