Remembering Former Mets Manager Davey Johnson
Former Mets manager, Davey Johnson, passed away on September 6 at the age of 82. Johnson is best known for leading the 1986 Mets to the second World Series title in franchise history. He holds the distinction of being in uniform at Shea Stadium when the Mets won both of their championships, as he was a member of the Baltimore Orioles in 1969 when the Mets took them down in five games. Ironically, Johnson made the last out of the 1969 World Series.
Johnson was given the Mets’ managerial reins in 1984 by general manager Frank Cashen, who had built the Orioles into perennial contenders from the mid-1960s through the mid-1970s in the general manager and head of baseball operations roles. On the day Johnson was introduced as manager, he wore cowboys boots and talked about using computers (he held a degree the mathematics) to help determine optimal lineups. Both of these things caused a stir, and set the tone for how Johnson would approach his job. He went about his work in an audacious and unapologetic manner, with an air of confidence that permeated into his team on the field.
Johnson posted a managerial record of 595-417 in Queens over six-plus seasons. In his six full seasons, the Mets finished first twice and second four times. He went on to manage the Cincinnati Reds, Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Washington Nationals. Over ten seasons with those teams, Davey finished in first place four times.
As a player, Johnson had 13 major league seasons with a slash line of .261/.340/.404. He slugged 136 home runs and had an OPS+ of 110 in his time with the Orioles, Braves, Phillies and Cubs. In one season with the Braves, he was one of three teammates to hit 40 or more home runs, joining Hank Aaron and Darrell Johnson with the long-ball heroics.
To understand the impact Johnson had on the Mets, it’s important to look at context. The Mets were in the abyss from 1977-1983. The Mets took the field each year with little hope, while the cross-town Yankees won two World Series titles and three pennants in that time period. Young talent had started to appear in 1983, with the promise of more coming. The Mets needed a manger with fresh ideas to take over after two seasons of George Bamberger and Frank Howard.
In came Johnson, whose ideas were not unprecedented, but definitely progressive for the time. He talked about getting the most out of a position by using “analytics” to determine who was the best fit for that day, rather than going with a set lineup. This was clearly his Orioles/Earl Weaver influence.
For example, in 1986, Johnson would play Kevin Mitchell at shortstop when Sid Fernandez was pitching. Johnson recognized that Fernandez induced a lot of contact in the air, which meant that he could weaken the infield defense a bit (Mitchell over Rafael Santana) to get Mitchell’s superior bat in the lineup. Davey also platooned his outfielders (Lenny Dykstra/Mookie Wilson/ Mitchell, occasionally Danny Heep) depending upon matchups, much more so than was common in that time.
Johnson’s brashness was a hallmark of his time in New York. The Mets had fallen short in 1985, losing a hard-fought division battle to the Cardinals. Going into 1986, he announced that not only were the Mets going to win, they were going to dominate. They did, putting up a 108-54 record.
After the Mets defeated the Astros in the National League Championship Series, the team partied hard, causing significant damage to the plane that brought them back to New York. Cashen wanted the players to pay for the damage. Johnson told the team that he was proud of them, that they deserved to celebrate, and that he would pay the bill, because their rambunctious nature was going to win the World Series. He was right. They got down two games to none and had to go on the road. We all know what happened in Game 6, then they rallied from a 3-0 deficit to win Game 7.
Johnson was fired in May of 1990 with the Mets struggling at 20-22. He left behind a legacy, doing something that only Gil Hodges had done before him. Tributes have poured in from former players, such as Darryl Strawberry, Keith Hernandez, and Dwight Gooden.
Rest in peace, Davey Johnson. Thank you for turning the Mets around in the 1980s, bringing them to a place that we hope to see again soon.
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