Davey Johnson, Mets' World Series manager, dies at 82
Davey Johnson managed the Mets from 1984 to 1990 and guided them to winning the World Series in 1986. Credit: Newsday/Paul J. Bereswill
Davey Johnson was at Shea Stadium for both of the Mets’ World Series-clinching victories of the 20th century, but his vantage point for the first was far different from the second.
In 1969, he hit the fly ball that Cleon Jones caught in leftfield to secure a five-game upset of Johnson’s Orioles and give the fledgling franchise its first championship.
In 1986, he was in the Mets’ dugout as their manager when Jesse Orosco struck out Marty Barrett to end Game 7 against the Red Sox as they earned their second (and most recent) title.
Such was the long and varied baseball life led by Johnson, who died at age 82 on Friday. Johnson's wife, Susan, confirmed his death to Mets team historian Jay Horwitz. Horwitz said Johnson died at a hospital in Sarasota, Florida, after a long illness.
“We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Davey Johnson," Mets owners Steve and Alex Cohen wrote in a statement Saturday. "Davey’s 595 wins remain the most in franchise history, and his legacy is highlighted by him leading the 1986 team to a World Series championship. He led with a quiet confidence and unwavering belief in his team, always caring deeply for his players both on and off the field. He had a distinguished 13-year playing career, including winning two World Series titles with the Orioles. On behalf of our entire organization, we extend our heartfelt condolences to Davey’s family, friends, and all who were impacted by his remarkable life and career.”
We are saddened to learn of the passing of Davey Johnson. 🧡💙 pic.twitter.com/yheK6zzclm
— New York Mets (@Mets) September 6, 2025
Johnson often seemed to find himself in interesting places at interesting times.
For Mets fans, his most interesting time of all was as the team’s manager from 1984-90.
His 595 regular-season victories and .588 winning percentage are the best in franchise history. His Mets teams never finished with fewer than 87 victories or lower than second place in the NL East, and he was the first manager in major-league history to start his career with five consecutive 90-win seasons.
His light touch seemed to fit his famously rambunctious team well. That group might have chafed under a leader with a tighter rein, although some thought it might have been better behaved with someone else at the helm.
Johnson was born on Jan. 30, 1943, in Orlando. He moved around as a youngster as his father, Fred, a decorated World War II tank commander, was sent to military assignments.
He attended high school in San Antonio and played briefly at Texas A&M before signing with the Orioles.
Although he is best remembered as a manager, Johnson was a good second baseman in his day, being selected as an All-Star four times and winning a Gold Glove three times.
He played for the Orioles’ 1966 and ’70 championship teams and hit 136 home runs with 609 RBIs in 13 seasons with Baltimore, Atlanta, Philadelphia and the Cubs.
In the 1966 World Series, he became the last player to get a hit against the Dodgers’ Sandy Koufax.
He hit 43 home runs for Atlanta in 1973 — more than double his total in any other season — joining Darrell Evans and Henry Aaron as the first trio of teammates to hit at least 40.
Johnson credited being in the same lineup as Aaron for the rise in his power numbers. Aaron finished that season with 713 career home runs, one short of Babe Ruth’s then-record.
Johnson also played two seasons in Japan. He retired after the 1978 season.
After managing in the Mets’ minor-league system, he got the call in October 1983 to take over the big-league club.
Johnson, then 40, displayed his brash confidence at his first news conference, thanking general manager Frank Cashen for having the “intelligence” to hire him and adding this:
“I feel very fortunate to come to a city where I think you make normal human beings and less-than-average ballplayers into superstars. And somebody as intelligent as me and as good a ballplayer as I was . . . you ought to be able to make into a great manager.”
It worked, with an eventful era that peaked in 1986. But many believe those Mets underachieved by winning only one championship, and eventually Johnson’s relaxed style did not wear well with management.
Was he a good fit for that group because of his laid-back vibe, or might a harder-charging leader have gotten more out of those teams? We never will know.
He was fired early in the 1990 season, then went on to manage the Reds, Orioles, Dodgers and Nationals, clashing with ownership at the first two stops.
During his time with the Orioles, he managed the delicate task of getting an aging Cal Ripken Jr. to transition from shortstop to third base.
He was named AL Manager of the Year with the Orioles in 1997 and NL Manager of the Year with the Nationals in 2012, then retired after the 2013 season with a regular-season record of 1,372-1,071.
Johnson had health problems over the years, including an ailment that caused him to have part of his stomach removed and to lose 50 pounds in 2005, shortly after the death of his daughter, Andrea, at age 32. She had been a competitive surfer but in later years suffered from schizophrenia.
In 2021, Johnson was hospitalized with COVID-19 but recovered.
In a 2010 ceremony in which he was inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame with Cashen, Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry, Johnson said, “It really is an honor. I’ve been seldom humbled in my life, but I was really humbled when Jeff Wilpon called me up and said that I was going to go in the Mets Hall of Fame.
“I was shocked. But really, Mr. Cashen said it all best. We really enjoyed competing here. It was fun. The fans were great for us.”
Regarding the famously fractious ’86 team, Johnson said, “These boys, they weren’t choirboys, but they weren’t as bad as everybody said they were. We all loved being in the ballpark. We all loved coming to Shea Stadium.”
Strawberry lauded Johnson in an Instagram post on Saturday. It said, in part, "I am deeply saddened by the loss of Davey Johnson, a remarkable leader who transformed the Mets franchise into a winning organization. His ability to empower players to express themselves while maintaining a strong commitment to excellence was truly inspiring. Davey's legacy will be forever etched in the hearts of fans and players alike . . . "
Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.
