Former Boston Red Sox manager Joe Morgan dies at 95
BOSTON —
Former Boston Red Sox manager Joe Morgan, a Walpole native whose name became synonymous with the 1988 team, has died at the age of 95.
He spent 18 years with the club and was a 2006 Red Sox Hall of Fame inductee.
“‘Morgan Magic’ is forever part of Red Sox lore,” Red Sox Chairman Tom Werner said in a statement. “Joe took over in 1988 and gave New England a summer it would never forget. How fitting that, in his final season watching the Red Sox, he saw another team respond to adversity with a remarkable run of its own. Joe gave us one of the great chapters in this club’s history, and we will always remember him for it. Our hearts are with his family.”
He made his place in Boston history after the team fired John McNamara and named Morgan interim manager.
“I had all the confidence in myself as a manager, so that didn’t bother me one iota,” Morgan said in a July interview with SportsCenter 5.
Under Morgan’s leadership, the Red Sox won 12 straight and 19 out of 20. They climbed from nine games out to one game back in three weeks.
“We had a decent club and for some reason they weren’t winning. Hitters get in slumps, pitchers get in slumps and big ball clubs get in slumps all at once and that’s what it appeared to be,” Morgan said.
That year’s turnaround became known as the Morgan Magic and Boston won a division title that year.
“Joe Morgan holds a special place in Red Sox history,” said Red Sox Principal Owner John Henry. “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.”
Paul Sakuma
Joe Morgan in 1990
Morgan remained the manager of the Red Sox through 1991.
“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.”
He was also a player from 1952 through 1966, including time in the major leagues with the Milwaukee Braves, Kansas City Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies, Cleveland Indians and St. Louis Cardinals.
Elise Amendola
Joe Morgan in 2013
Morgan is survived by his children, six grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.