Remembering 2025’s Losses: Davey Johnson

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Yes, I know it’s music’s turn to go first, but this is the third day in a row that I’ve featured a baseball player, and you’ll probably appreciate the musician. (Relax, two actors in a row forthcoming….nobody ever complains about that…) So, for the third day in a row, here’s a baseball player for you to poo-poo. Davey Johnson I can’t leave this guy off. He won three World Series titles, two as a player (with the Baltimore Orioles) and one as a manager (the 1986 New York Mets). He was also part of the mid-90s Cincinnati Reds fiasco: he managed in the strike-shortened 1994 season and had the team in first when the strike happened, then after the strike was resolved he guided the Reds to the NL West title in 1995. And the owner fired him. (Marge Schott is probably pictured in the dictionary next to “dumb sports owners.” ) Davey Johnson’s playing career began for the Baltimore Orioles, where he’s best remembered for his playing. He was part of the Orioles team that won four American League pennants in the mid-60s to early 70s. About the only thing that could stop them in that era was the Oakland A’s. After his playing days ended in 1978, he put that mathematics degree of his to work…managing. His first managerial job was with the New York Mets, where he won the 1986 World Series (with a little help from Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner…sorry to mention that, Red Sox fans ). He also had stints with the Reds, the Orioles, the Dodgers, and the Washington Nationals as manager. In addition to his World Series as manager, he was named Manager of the Year twice, once in each league (Orioles in the AL, Nationals in the NL). His player stats were hardly memorable (lifetime .261 average with 136 home runs), but the managerial record (1,372-1071) was respectable. He was well liked (well, by everyone except Marge Schott, which is actually reiteration of what a good guy he was), and his influence on baseball with the importance of statistical management will probably never fade. Davey Johnson Born David Allen Johnson, January 30, 1943, Orlando, Florida Died September 5, 2025, Sarasota, Florida (long illness) (age 82) HALLS OF FAME: Baltimore Orioles (1997); New York Mets (2010) New York City news remembrance of Johnson: