83-651: As coach Joseph John Maddon (born February 8, 1954) is an American former professional baseball manager and coach. He has managed the Tampa Bay Rays , Chicago Cubs , and Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). After playing and coaching in the minor leagues , Maddon began his MLB coaching career with the Angels in 1994 and served under managers Buck Rodgers , Marcel Lachemann , John McNamara , Terry Collins , and Mike Scioscia . He served two stints as interim manager during this time. He managed
166-508: A blue collar power plant employee, and consequently is the only player who takes the power plant job seriously. His character is ultimately hospitalized with a life-threatening case of radiation poisoning that leaves him unable to play. They called and asked if I'd be interested in doing it, and it so happened that it was my favorite show. I was excited . . . Every year I get a ( residual ) check for like $ 4 . . . I cash 'em. I don't want to mess up their accounting department. Scioscia made
249-705: A catcher , signing with the California Angels organization as a free agent in 1975. Maddon never advanced higher than Class A , in which he played for four seasons. He began his career for the Quad Cities Angels in 1976, hitting .294 in 50 games and 163 at bats. He followed up with two seasons for the Salinas Angels and a final season with the Santa Clara Padres . In his four seasons, he never had more than 180 at bats in
332-503: A sacrifice fly hit by Mitch Garver and a balk by Angels pitcher Austin Warren that scored Marcus Semien . It was the first time a manager called for an intentional walk with the bases loaded since Maddon himself did so on Josh Hamilton in 2008. It was the first instance of a manager ordering an intentional walk with the bases loaded while trailing in the game since Jim O'Rourke of the 1881 Buffalo Bisons . The Angels proceeded to win
415-563: A 4–3 series win over the Cleveland Indians . His .581 winning percentage is the most for a Cubs manager since Frank Chance , and his 19 playoff victories as manager are a team record, as are the team's four consecutive playoff berths from 2015 to 2018. Following the Cubs quick exit from the 2018 playoffs, the Cubs opted not to give Maddon an extension on his five-year contract, which the team allowed to expire after Chicago failed to make
498-500: A 60–64 record, which included a two-month stretch where the team did not win a road series. However, the Cubs remained in contention for both a Wild Card spot and the Central Division heading into the final 10 games of the season, seven of which were against the division-leading Cardinals. St. Louis swept Chicago at Wrigley Field in four games for the first time since 1921, the first of a nine-game losing stretch that would keep
581-792: A 92–70 record. Chicago defeated the Nationals three games to two in the NLDS , marking the Cubs' fourth straight postseason series victory. However, Chicago could not clinch a second straight NL pennant, falling 4–1 in the NLCS to the Dodgers . In 2017 the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame awarded its NPASHF Excellence in Sports Award to Joe Maddon. Maddon's 2018 team saw several key departures from both
664-568: A charity golf tournament annually in his hometown of Hazleton, Pennsylvania . Respect 90 and Maddon also sponsor a charity boxing event in Chicago annually. The Respect 90 Foundation raises funds to benefit inner city youth. In 2017, Joe Maddon and his neighbor Jill Kelley hosted a Gasparilla party for wounded veterans. Maddon has two children from a previous marriage and has five grandchildren through it. Maddon married his second wife in 2008. Professional baseball Professional baseball
747-685: A minor league manager, he had a 279–339 (.451) record in six seasons. He managed in the minors from 1981 to 1986, each team having a losing record. His stops included managing the Idaho Falls Angels of the Rookie League (1981), the Class A Salem Angels (1982–1983), Class A Peoria Chiefs (1984), and the Class AA Midland Angels (1985–1986). After serving as Minor League roving instructor from 1987 to 1993, Maddon
830-522: A multi-year extension on his contract; his former contract ran through the 2010 season. The number of additional years created through this contract was 10 years, through 2018. Scioscia was honored as 2009 American League Major League Manager of Year by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (the official Manager of the Year award, as recognized by Major League Baseball). Scioscia became
913-819: A pennant was the longest in MLB history, lasting 71 years. They beat the Cleveland Indians in Game 7 of the World Series, for their first World Series title in 108 years. On May 16, 2017, Maddon won his 1,000th game as manager in a 9–5 victory over the Cincinnati Reds . Despite falling behind 4.5 games to the Milwaukee Brewers and posting a losing record at the All-Star Break, the Cubs rallied to repeat as NL Central Division Champions and finish with
SECTION 10
#1732780228055996-470: A record of 754 wins and 705 losses. Almost immediately after news broke of Maddon's departure from St. Petersburg, rumors started linking him to the Cubs' managerial position; which, at the time was held by Rick Renteria . Cubs management had promised Renteria he would indeed be returning to manage the club in 2015 following the completion of the 2014 season. On November 2, 2014, the Cubs announced that they had fired Renteria and hired Maddon. Maddon's contract
1079-632: A reserve, despite Kinsler having narrowly come in second in the fan voting, the player voting, and the "Sprint Final Vote" competition. To replace fellow second baseman Dustin Pedroia , Maddon instead chose Tampa Bay's first baseman Carlos Peña . Similarly, to replace Longoria, Maddon chose Chone Figgins of the Angels. When MLB ordered in April 2010 that managers and coaches wear the official team jacket or approved Majestic pullover over their jersey, and not " hoodies ", Maddon complained that "it's almost like
1162-453: A season, and the most home runs he ever hit was three for the Salinas Angels in 1977. Overall, he hit .267 with 5 home runs in 514 at bats. In 1979, after spending four seasons trying to make it as a catcher in the Angels organization, Maddon decided to give up his playing career and become a coach. He started as a scout and would continue on to such positions as manager in the Angels farm system and Minor League roving hitting instructor. As
1245-615: A second appearance on The Simpsons with the episode " MoneyBart ", which premiered on October 10, 2010. Having survived the radiation poisoning, he tells Marge and Bart that it gave him superhuman managing powers (as well as the ability to de-magnetise credit cards) and that the best players listen to their managers. Scioscia acted as a celebrity endorser of the Howard's Appliance & Big Screen Superstore chain in Southern California . Early in his career after signing with
1328-465: A security blanket for me. Managing without a hoodie on a cool night could be very disconcerting. Furthermore, I think it's wrong." MLB reversed their decision a few days later. On September 28, 2010, the Rays clinched their second playoff berth in team history. This was their second playoff appearance in three years. They finished the year at 96–66. The Rays won their second AL East championship, but lost to
1411-577: A victory over the Boston Red Sox. The Rays finished the season with a 92–71 record, clinching the American League Wild Card. They lost the 2013 ALDS to the Boston Red Sox, 3-games-to-1. The Rays finished with their worst record in seven years, at 77–85. They lost Matt Moore to Tommy John surgery and dealt with constant trade rumors regarding such stars as David Price and Ben Zobrist . Price would end up being traded to
1494-630: Is also notable for a guest appearance as himself on The Simpsons episode " Homer at the Bat " in 1992 , while he was still a player. In the storyline, Scioscia is one of several Major League players recruited by Smithers to work a token job at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant so that he could play on the plant's softball team against a rival power plant. Scioscia tells Smithers, who found him while deer hunting, that while he enjoyed playing baseball, he always wanted to be
1577-614: Is an American former Major League Baseball catcher and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). He managed the Anaheim / Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim / Los Angeles Angels from the 2000 season through the 2018 season , and was the longest-tenured manager in Major League Baseball and second-longest-tenured coach/manager in the "Big Four" (MLB, NFL , NHL , and NBA ), behind only Gregg Popovich at
1660-705: Is often applied as an umbrella term for all leagues — major and minor — under the authority of the Commissioner of Baseball . Operating outside the Minor League Baseball organization are many independent minor leagues such as the Atlantic League , American Association , Frontier League , and the feeder league to these the Empire Professional Baseball League . Japan has had professional baseball since
1743-609: Is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada consists of the National League (founded in 1876) and the American League (founded in 1901). Historically, teams in one league never played teams in
SECTION 20
#17327802280551826-628: Is the Angels' all-time managerial leader in wins, games managed, and division titles. Scioscia was honored with the American League Manager of the Year Award in 2002 and 2009 . On May 8, 2011, Scioscia became the 56th manager to win 1,000 or more games, and the 23rd to have all 1,000 or more victories with a single team. Scioscia was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first round (19th overall pick) of
1909-632: The 2003 National League Championship Series (NLCS). After losing game 1 in St. Louis, the Cubs went on to win three straight, winning the NLDS at Wrigley Field. This was the Cubs' first ever postseason clinch at Wrigley Field. The Cubs played the Mets in the NLCS , but lost in four games. After the season, Maddon won the National League Manager of the Year Award. Maddon's young Cubs team entered
1992-504: The China National Baseball League , Israel Baseball League , and Baseball Philippines . During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, players of black African descent were barred from playing the major leagues , though several did manage to play by claiming to be Cubans or Native Americans . As a result, a number of parallel Negro leagues were formed. However, after Jackie Robinson began playing with
2075-761: The Detroit Tigers , while Zobrist finished the season in St. Petersburg. The Rays dealt with a flurry of injuries, and never recovered. They were eliminated from postseason contention on September 19. On October 14, 2014, Rays' General Manager Andrew Friedman left Tampa Bay to assume the role of President of Baseball Operations for the Los Angeles Dodgers . Friedman's departure activated an opt-out clause in Maddon's contract, allowing Maddon to do so within two weeks of Friedman's resignation. The Rays tried "aggressively" to re-sign Maddon, during that period, but Maddon opted out of his contract. Maddon finished his tenure with
2158-493: The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum . He was further named the overall Major League 2002 Manager of the Year by Baseball America . The Angels under Scioscia would go on to enjoy a period of on-field success never before seen in franchise history, winning five American League West division titles in six years (surpassing the number won by all previous Angels managers combined). Scioscia's Angels broke
2241-538: The San Diego Padres in 1993, but suffered a torn rotator cuff injury during spring training that year and did not play in any regular season games for the team. He closed out his career with the Texas Rangers in 1994 after a failed attempt to come back from the injury, again without having played in any regular season games that year. Exclusively a catcher, the 6-foot, 2-inch, 230 pound Scioscia
2324-532: The Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2006 . Under the leadership of Stoneman and Scioscia, the Angels ended their 16-year playoff drought in 2002 , winning the AL Wild Card and ultimately winning the franchise's first World Series , a series that pitted the Angels against a San Francisco Giants team managed by Scioscia's former Dodgers teammate Dusty Baker . In winning the series, Scioscia became
2407-573: The Texas Rangers 3–2 in the 2010 ALDS . In 2011, the Rays made a second consecutive playoff appearance, clinching the American League Wild Card on the final day of the season, despite an 0–6 start to the season and a nine-game deficit in the wild card race in September. The Rays lost in the 2011 ALDS to the Rangers 3 games to 1. After the end of the season Maddon was named the AL Manager of
2490-404: The subsequent Wild Card game at home, the latter of which came against Colorado in 13 innings The Cubs opted not to extend Maddon's contract during the 2018 offseason. Epstein told the press that the club would not enter into talks with Maddon's agent until after the upcoming season . The Cubs also dismissed hitting coach Chili Davis and pitching coach Jim Hickey , both of whom were hired
2573-427: The 17th person to win a World Series as both a player and a manager (not including those who won as a player-manager ). Scioscia was honored as 2002 American League Manager of Year by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (the official Manager of the Year award, as recognized by Major League Baseball). He was also named 2002 A.L. Manager of the Year by The Sporting News , USA Today Sports Weekly , and
Joe Maddon - Misplaced Pages Continue
2656-700: The 1930s. Nippon Professional Baseball consists of two leagues, the Central League and the Pacific League , each with six teams. South Korea has had professional baseball since 1982. There are 10 teams in KBO League . Taiwan has had professional baseball since the 1990s. The Chinese Professional Baseball League absorbed Taiwan Major League in 2003. There are currently 6 teams in the CPBL. Other Asian leagues include three now defunct leagues,
2739-471: The 1976 amateur draft. Scioscia debuted for the Dodgers in 1980 (replacing Steve Yeager ) and went on to play 12 years for the team. Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda helped lobby Scioscia to sign with the Dodgers after the team drafted him out of Springfield (Delaware County) High School, a public school located in the suburbs of Philadelphia in 1976. Scioscia made himself invaluable to the Dodgers by making
2822-438: The 1988 National League Championship Series . With the Dodgers going on to win that game in extra innings, Scioscia's blast (which came after he had hit only three home runs that entire season) proved crucial to the Dodgers' ultimately prevailing in that series. Scioscia was a key player on the Dodgers' 1981 and 1988 World Series champion teams, and is the Dodgers' all-time leader in games caught (1,395). In 1990, Scioscia became
2905-435: The 2000 season, was hired as the interim general manager. After 19 seasons as manager, following the conclusion of the 2018 season, Scioscia announced that he would step down as manager of the Angels on September 30, 2018. He finished with a record of 1,650 wins and 1,428 losses. On April 6, 2021, USA Baseball announced that Scioscia would manage the United States national baseball team during qualifying for baseball at
2988-468: The 2013 season, Moreno announced that both would return to the Angels for the 2014 season. Tension between Dipoto and Scioscia continued during the 2015 season regarding the way Scioscia and his coaches delivered statistical reports developed by Dipoto and the front office to their players. Dipoto resigned his post on July 1, 2015, despite efforts from the Angels to convince him to stay. Former Angels general manager Bill Stoneman, who hired Scioscia before
3071-593: The 2016 season as the bookmakers' favorite to win the World Series . They started the season on a tear, taking over first place in the NL Central on April 11, a lead they never relinquished. By May 10, the Cubs had a record of 25–6 (0.806 win percentage) with a commanding 8.5 game lead in their division. The team would go on to post a 103–58 regular season record, their first 100-win season in over 80 years, and led their division by as many as 19 games. They entered
3154-571: The 2020 Summer Olympics , held in Tokyo in 2021. The team subsequently qualified, with Scioscia serving as manager for the Olympics. The team went on to win silver, falling to Japan in the gold-medal game . On July 26, 2024, it was announced that Scioscia would helm the United States national team at the 2024 WBSC Premier12 . In addition to his more orthodox work in baseball, Scioscia
3237-615: The Angels from 2020 to 2022. The son of an Italian father, Joseph Anthony Maddon (who shortened the family name from Maddonini), and a Polish mother, Albina Klocek, Maddon grew up in an apartment over his father's plumbing shop. His father died in 2002. Maddon attended Lafayette College , where he played baseball and football . He is a member of Zeta Psi fraternity. He received an Honorary Doctor of Letters from Lafayette College on September 2, 2010. Maddon began his professional career playing in Minor League Baseball as
3320-606: The Angels hired Mike Scioscia in 1999. He served as Scioscia's bench coach from 2000 to 2005, winning a World Series ring in 2002. By the time Maddon left Anaheim, he had spent 31 years overall with the Angels organization. Maddon was considered a candidate for the Boston Red Sox manager job in 2004, which went to Terry Francona . On November 15, 2005, Maddon was hired to manage the Tampa Bay Devil Rays . The Rays went 121–197 (.381) in Maddon's first two seasons. The Rays were in yet another re-building phase, this time under
3403-464: The Cubs finished with three more wins than their division-winning 2017 record, Chicago's 95 wins were unable to secure a third straight division championship. While the Cubs entered September with a 5-game lead over Milwaukee, the Brewers won four of their final six games against Chicago and completed their season with a seven-game winning streak to force a game 163. Chicago lost both the tiebreaker and
Joe Maddon - Misplaced Pages Continue
3486-539: The Cubs from a playoff berth for the first time since 2014. On September 29, before the final game of the season , Epstein and Maddon announced in a joint press conference that Maddon's initial five-year contract would not be renewed. Maddon's final game as Cubs manager was a 9–0 loss to St. Louis that clinched the division and ended a four-year playoff drought for the Cardinals. The Cubs finished in third place at 84–78, seven games out of first place. Maddon's departure
3569-532: The Cubs would offer him a deal that would make him the highest paid manager in the game. Cubs President Theo Epstein claimed that he had sent an email to MLB to be certain that Maddon was indeed a free agent before contacting him about their managerial position. On April 29, 2015, MLB cleared the Cubs of any tampering charges. Maddon managed the Chicago Cubs from 2015 to 2019, breaking the Cubs' 108-year World Series Championship drought in his second year with
3652-531: The Dodgers, Scioscia spent the off-seasons attending Penn State University , working toward a computer science degree. Scioscia and his wife Anne have two children and reside in Westlake Village, California . Their son Matthew, who played baseball for Notre Dame , was selected in the 45th round by the Angels in the 2011 MLB Draft . He signed on June 20, and was assigned to the AZL Angels . He
3735-487: The National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, oversees nearly all minor league baseball in the United States and Canada. The minor leagues are divided into classes AAA, AA, High-A, A, and Rookie. These minor-league divisions are affiliated with major league teams, and serve to develop young players and rehabilitate injured major-leaguers. "Affiliated baseball" (archaically, " organized baseball ")
3818-414: The Rays from 2006 through 2014, winning the 2008 American League pennant . After opting out of his contract following the 2014 season, Maddon joined the Cubs. He led them to the 2015 National League Championship Series and was named the 2015 National League Manager of the Year . In 2016, Maddon managed the Cubs to their first World Series title since 1908. He managed the Cubs through 2019 and managed
3901-604: The Tampa Bay Rays and Maddon agreed to a contract extension that would keep him manager of the Rays through 2012. He had been in the final year of his initial contract with the team. The Rays stated that there was "never a question" on whether to keep Maddon after the conclusion of the 2009 season. On July 14, 2009, Maddon managed the American League All Star team to a 4–3 victory. Controversy accompanied his failure to pick second baseman Ian Kinsler as
3984-638: The Year for the second time in his career. On February 13, 2012, the Rays signed Maddon to a three-year extension. On April 16, 2012, in a game against the Red Sox , Maddon won his 500th career game as manager. The Rays finished the season at 90–72, good for third place in the AL East and third in the AL Wild Card. Maddon earned his 600th win on May 8, 2013, with a victory over the Toronto Blue Jays . Maddon earned his 700th win on May 25, 2014, with
4067-470: The effort to learn Spanish in order to better communicate with rookie sensation Fernando Valenzuela in 1981. When I made Mike the No. 1 catcher, the writers (referring to sportswriters in the 1980s) came to me and said, "[Competing catcher] Steve Yeager said you made Scioscia the No. 1 catcher because he's Italian." I said, "That's a lie. I made him the No. 1 catcher because I'm Italian." Scioscia went to
4150-484: The first Dodger catcher to start in an All-Star Game since Hall of Famer Roy Campanella . Alfredo Griffin , Scioscia's teammate from the 1988 Dodger team, served on Scioscia's coaching staff with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim from 2000 to 2018. Scioscia earned as much as $ 2,183,333/year in salary toward the end of his career, and earned the unofficial total sum of $ 10,109,999 over his career. Scioscia
4233-601: The first half of the season, the Cubs held a record of 47–40, good for third place in the highly contested National League Central division. The Cubs had finished in last place for three consecutive seasons. After coming out sluggishly after the All Star Break, Cole Hamels of the Philadelphia Phillies no-hit the Cubs at Wrigley Field on July 25. Following a sweep by the Phillies, the team with
SECTION 50
#17327802280554316-450: The first manager to reach the playoffs in six of his first ten seasons. On May 8, 2011, the Angels defeated the Cleveland Indians , which marked Scioscia's 1,000th win as a major league manager. A rift developed between Scioscia and Jerry Dipoto , the Angels' general manager, when Dipoto fired Mickey Hatcher from the role of the team's hitting coach in 2012. Despite rumors that the Angels might replace either Dipoto or Scioscia after
4399-473: The franchise single-season win record with 99 wins in 2002, and again with 100 wins in 2008. However, they have yet to win another American League pennant or World Series since their memorable 2002 run. Scioscia is the Angels' all-time leader in wins and games managed, surpassing original manager Bill Rigney 's totals in both categories in 2007 and 2008 , respectively. He was also the longest tenured manager in Major League Baseball. In January 2009, he received
4482-566: The game by a score of 9–6. On June 7, 2022, as the team reached a 12-game losing streak, Maddon was fired by the Angels upon a visit to his Pasadena home by general manager Perry Minasian . Maddon wears the unusual uniform #70 . He has said that his preferred number used to be #20, but that he lost that number when future Hall-of-Famer Don Sutton came to the Angels. He was then randomly assigned #70 and declared that he would never change it so that his number would never be taken from him again. Maddon's organization, Respect 90 Foundation, hosts
4565-416: The game. The Angels finished the 2021 season with a 77–85 record, placing 4th in their division and missing the playoffs. Maddon made 6 successful managerial challenges out of 20 attempts, a rate of 30%. He was ejected from 3 games. The Angels hit sacrifice bunts at a 2.0% rate, the highest under Maddon's management since the 2014 Rays and similar to the small ball that the 2002 Angels utilized when Maddon
4648-838: The major-league Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, the Negro leagues gradually faded. The process of integration did not go entirely smoothly; there were some ugly incidents, including pitchers who would try to throw directly at a black player's head. Now, however, baseball is fully integrated, and there is little to no racial tension between teammates. Between 1943 and 1954, the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League fielded teams in several Midwestern towns. Mike Scioscia As manager As coach Michael Lorri Scioscia ( / ˈ s oʊ ʃ ə / SOH -shə ; born November 27, 1958), nicknamed " Sosh " and " El Jefe " (Spanish for "The Boss"),
4731-470: The management of General Manager Andrew Friedman . Tampa Bay held the lowest payroll in baseball at $ 44 million. They had yet to have a winning season but were hopeful due to the development of young homegrown stars David Price , Evan Longoria , James Shields and B. J. Upton . Unlike his predecessor, Lou Piniella , Maddon preached patience in developing a young core of players while enduring back to back 90+ game losing seasons. In 2008, Maddon guided
4814-549: The newly renamed Rays to the first winning season and division title in franchise history. He led a team of young players that won the American League East over the heavily favored New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox . Maddon's team recorded the franchise's first playoff series victory in the 2008 American League Division Series (ALDS) vs. the Chicago White Sox by 3–1 and a 4-games-to-3 triumph over
4897-476: The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic , the 2020 season was shortened to 60 games. In addition, the playoffs were expanded to include eight teams from each leagues instead of the regular five. Despite this, the Angels finished the season at 26–34 to finish in fourth place in the AL West, missing the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season. Maddon led the Angels in the 2021 season, his first 162-game season as manager for
4980-510: The other until the World Series , in which the champions of the two leagues played against each other. This changed in 1997 with the advent of interleague play . The Philadelphia Phillies , founded in 1883, are the oldest continuous same-name, same-city franchise in both Major League Baseball and all of American professional sports. In addition to the major leagues, many North American cities and towns feature minor league teams. An organization officially styled Minor League Baseball , formerly
5063-422: The player roster and the coaching staff, including 2015 Cy Young Winner Jake Arrieta , right-handed starter John Lackey , 2017 closer Wade Davis , former closer Hector Rondon , bench coach Dave Martinez , pitching coach Chris Bosio and hitting coach John Mallee . The Cubs made several free-agency acquisitions to bolster their pitching staff, including former Dodgers Yu Darvish and Brandon Morrow . While
SECTION 60
#17327802280555146-465: The playoffs the following year. On May 14, 2015, Maddon logged his 800th managerial win in a 6–5 home victory over the New York Mets , placing him eighth among active managers. In June, on a road trip to play the Mets, Maddon brought in a magician to perform in the Cubs clubhouse. The Cubs had lost five straight games and it was something Maddon had done before with the Rays. At the conclusion of
5229-414: The position during Trout's 2021 injury. Less than 24 hours after floating the idea, Maddon met with Trout and ultimately decided that he would keep him in center field. On April 15, 2022, in a game where the Angels trailed the Texas Rangers 3–2, Maddon ordered that Corey Seager be intentionally walked despite the bases being loaded, making the score 4–2. The Rangers then went up 6–2 in the inning after
5312-403: The postseason as heavy favorites, and dispatched the Giants in four games with an amazing four-run 9th inning comeback in the clincher at AT&T Park . On October 22, 2016, the Cubs beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 6 of the NLCS , earning their first pennant since 1945 , also allowing Maddon to join the small list of managers who won pennants in both leagues. Their streak of not winning
5395-424: The preceding year. After the team limped to a 1–6 start through its first seven games, the Cubs overtook the St. Louis Cardinals for first place on May 5 with a three-game home sweep of the division rivals. From April 7 through May 29, the Cubs had a 22–7 record at 24–14 overall and 2.0 games above the second-place Milwaukee Brewers . Through the remainder of the 2019 season, the Cubs played sub-500 baseball with
5478-431: The rival Red Sox in the 2008 American League Championship Series (ALCS). This was the first World Series appearance for the Rays, in which Tampa Bay held home-field advantage against the Philadelphia Phillies . The Phillies won the World Series in five games. Maddon won the American League Manager of the Year Award . He also received the Chuck Tanner Major League Baseball Manager of the Year Award . On May 25, 2009,
5561-475: The same catcher's mitt for most of his playing career. Career statistics After spending several years as a coach in the Dodgers' organization, Scioscia was hired by new Angels general manager Bill Stoneman to be the Angels' manager after the 1999 season, following the late-season resignation of Terry Collins and interim managerial tenure of Joe Maddon . Scioscia would retain Maddon as an assistant until Maddon received his own managerial position with
5644-421: The season with 97 wins, an improvement of 24 over 2014 and their first 97-win season since 2008. In the National League Wild Card Game , the Cubs defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates by a score of 4–0 at PNC Park on a complete game shutout from Arrieta, advancing to the National League Division Series (NLDS) to face the St. Louis Cardinals . The win marked the Cubs' first postseason victory since Game 4 of
5727-485: The tag, most catchers hold the baseball in their bare hand, with that hand then being inside their catcher's mitt to apply the tag with both hands. Scioscia preferred to hold the ball in his catcher's mitt without making use of his bare hand. Also, Scioscia felt he was less prone to injury in a collision if he positioned his body so that he was kneeling on both knees and turned to the side, whereas most catchers make their tag either standing or on one knee. Indeed, Scioscia
5810-413: The team. In February 2021, Maddon announced that he would allow Shohei Ohtani to both hit and pitch following his 2019 Tommy John surgery recovery and 2020 setback. Maddon and the Angels adopted a 6-man rotation to allow Ohtani to pitch once every 7 days and serve as designated hitter in-between. On April 4, 2021, Maddon let Ohtani bat for himself as a starting pitcher for the first time in his career. It
5893-445: The time of his retirement. As a player, Scioscia made his major league debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1980 . He was selected to two All-Star Games and won two World Series over the course of his 13-year MLB career, which was spent entirely with the Dodgers; this made him the only person in MLB history to spend his entire playing career with one team and entire managing career with another team with 10+ years in both places. He
5976-624: The worst record in baseball, the Cubs went on a nine-game winning streak, and at the time held the best road record in the Majors. The Cubs continued their hot streak throughout the second half of the season, which included a no-hitter by Jake Arrieta on August 30 in Los Angeles . On September 26, following a San Francisco Giants loss to the Oakland Athletics , the Cubs clinched their first postseason berth since 2008 . They finished
6059-487: Was Chili Davis in 1986 when he was with the Giants. Chili plays hard; he's 6' 3", looks like Apollo Creed , got a nice lean. I saw stars. That was the hardest I've been hit, including my years of playing football. It was a heck of a collision…He was out that time. We were both out. Scioscia's technique for blocking the plate and making a tag varied slightly from the traditional manner employed by most catchers. When applying
6142-430: Was an assistant coach. A month before the start of the 2022 season, Maddon told the media that he was considering the possibility of moving veteran superstar Mike Trout out of center field to a corner outfield spot in an effort to prevent injuries. In the hypothetical move, Trout would have been moved out of center field for the first time since 2013 in favor of Brandon Marsh , a former top prospect who spent time at
6225-468: Was for five years and $ 25 million. Renteria was offered a variety of other positions with the Cubs, which he declined. After being fired by the Cubs, Renteria signed on as the Chicago White Sox bench coach for the 2016 season, and became the team manager in 2017. The Rays filed tampering charges with MLB, claiming that the only reason Maddon opted out in Tampa Bay was due to his becoming aware that
6308-678: Was involved in three no-hitters in his career: he was on the losing end of Nolan Ryan 's fifth no-hitter on September 26, 1981 vs. the Houston Astros , and on the winning side, he caught Fernando Valenzuela's on June 29, 1990 vs. the St. Louis Cardinals and Kevin Gross 's on August 17, 1992 vs. the San Francisco Giants . He caught 136 shutouts during his career, ranking him fourth all-time among major league catchers. Scioscia used
6391-416: Was noted for his durability. After missing most of the 1983 season after tearing his rotator cuff, Scioscia played in more than 100 games each season for the remainder of his career with the Dodgers. Offensively, Scioscia was generally unspectacular, but he was known as a solid contact hitter, striking out fewer than once every 14 at-bats over the course of his career. Because of his ability to make contact, he
6474-410: Was originally described by both the Cubs and himself as a "mutual agreement" to part ways, but he later revealed in 2021 that he actually wanted to continue as the Cubs manager with a two-year extension and that his release as Cubs manager was one-sided. On October 16, 2019, it was announced that Maddon would be returning to the Angels as manager for the 2020 season. He signed a three-year deal. Due to
6557-536: Was primarily known for his defense. Former Dodgers vice president Al Campanis once called Scioscia the best plate-blocking catcher he had seen in his 46-year baseball career. In one collision with St. Louis Cardinals' slugger Jack Clark in July 1985, Scioscia was knocked unconscious but still held onto the ball. Scioscia, however, has claimed he had an even harder plate collision the following season. The one collision that absolutely I got hit harder than anybody else
6640-617: Was promoted to the big league club as a coach. Maddon served as a major league coach for the Angels from 1994 to 2005. He held such positions as first base coach, bench coach, and interim manager on three occasions following the hospitalization of John McNamara in 1996, the suspension of Terry Collins in 1998, and Collins' eventual departure in 1999. He finished with a combined record of 27 wins and 24 losses as interim manager. He also served under Marcel Lachemann from 1993 to 1994. While he served as bench coach under McNamara and Collins, he rotated positions often. He finally found stability when
6723-461: Was signed by the San Diego Padres and Texas Rangers late in his career, but never appeared in a major league game for either team due to injury. After his playing career ended, Scioscia spent several seasons as a minor league manager and major league coach in the Dodgers organization before being hired as the Angels manager after the 1999 season . As a manager, Scioscia led the Angels to their only-to-date World Series championship in 2002 . He
6806-534: Was sometimes used as the second hitter in the batting order—an atypical slot for a player with Scioscia's large-set frame and overall batting average. He had a particularly strong season on offense in 1985, batting .296 and finishing second in the National League in on-base percentage . Scioscia also hit a dramatic, ninth inning, game-tying home run off the New York Mets ' Dwight Gooden in Game 4 of
6889-525: Was the first time in Angels history that a manager had waived the designated hitter spot and was the first time across the American League since the Tampa Bay Rays did so on May 17, 2009, an instance where Maddon himself accidentally submitted an incorrect lineup card. Just before the 2021 All-Star Game , Maddon consulted American League team manager Kevin Cash about having Ohtani both hit and pitch in
#54945