BOSTON — Joe Morgan, the popular Boston Red Sox manager who guided his hometown team to a pair of AL East titles, has died. He was 95.
In a statement Sunday, the Red Sox announced that Morgan died Saturday night. The club was informed by his daughter, Catherine, team spokesperson Abby Murphy said. No further information was provided.
“Joe Morgan holds a special place in Red Sox history,” Principal Owner John Henry said in the statement. “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. The two division titles that followed only strengthened a bond with Red Sox fans that endured for the rest of his life. We extend our deepest condolences to his family and all who loved him.”
Morgan played 88 major league games as an infielder with five teams from 1959-64 and then spent 18 years in the Red Sox organization as a manager, coach and scout from 1974-91.
Along the way, he managed Boston stars such as Wade Boggs, Roger Clemens and Rich Gedman in both the minors and majors. Morgan was inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame in 2006.
“He was a big part of my life and will be missed,” said Boggs, a Hall of Fame third baseman. “I don’t think he got enough credit for how baseball-smart he was. He played baseball hunches instead of statistics. He will always be one of my favorites.”
Morgan, who was born in Walpole, Massachusetts, and attended Boston College, became the first base coach for the Red Sox in 1985 and took over as manager on July 14, 1988.
The team won its next 12 games and 19 of 20 on the way to a division title before getting swept in four games by the Oakland Athletics in the American League Championship Series.
“‘Morgan Magic’ is forever part of Red Sox lore,” team chairman Tom Werner said. “Joe took over in 1988 and gave New England a summer it would never forget.”
Morgan managed the Red Sox to another AL East crown in 1990 before they were again swept by Oakland in the ALCS. His tenure ended after the 1991 season with a 301-262 record.
“Joe was a fun manager to play for — always extremely positive. When you didn’t perform well, he’d say, ‘Don’t worry about it. You’ll be great next time — I guarantee it!’” said Clemens, who won the first three of his seven Cy Young Awards with Boston.
“And yes, when he got the job to manage, he brought the magic! … Thanks for everything, Joe!”
Before his promotion to Boston’s big league staff in 1983 as a scout, Morgan managed the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox from 1974-82, becoming the longest-tenured skipper in club history.
During his playing days, Morgan was signed by the Boston Braves in June 1952. He batted .193 in the majors with two home runs and 10 RBIs for the Milwaukee Braves (1959), Kansas City Athletics (1959), Philadelphia Phillies (1960), Cleveland Indians (1960-61) and St. Louis Cardinals (1964).
He began managing in the minors in 1966.
“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.”
In addition to daughter Catherine, Morgan is survived by his children Joseph Jr., William and Barbara, six grandchildren and five great grandchildren, the Red Sox said.
