Mets manager Jeff Torborg makes his case after disagreeing with an umpire’s call in 1992. (Photo by … [+] Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
Jeff Torborg, who died at 83 Sunday, was different than most other major-league managers.
A college graduate who did not drink, smoke, or swear, he was articulate, soft-spoken, and polite to a fault – showing a hidden temper only when embarrassed by one of his own players.
Although he reached the World Series as a player only as a back-up catcher with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1965 and 1966, Torborg parlayed his knowledge of the game into five managerial jobs: with the Mets, White Sox, Indians, Expos, and Marlins. He even managed to survive nearly 10 years as a coach with the New York Yankees during the most tempestuous years of the George Steinbrenner regime (1979-88).
The former Rutgers catcher, who set many NCAA batting records that still stand, had a peak salary of $30,000 as a player, according to Baseball-Reference.com, but was worth much more as a role model for a myriad of young players, including future Hall of Famer Frank Thomas with the White Sox.
Torborg’s career as a manager began with the Cleveland Indians, where he replaced Frank Robinson in 1977, and ended with the Florida Marlins in 2003, when that team’s slow start caused Torborg to be relieved in favor of Jack McKeon before winning a world championship as a wild-card.
Torborg’s Top Season
Torborg’s peak as a pilot came in 1990, when his White Sox won 94 games and he was rewarded with the American League’s Manager of the Year award.
He replaced Felipe Alou as manager of the Montreal Expos in 2001 and Tony Perez as pilot of the Florida Marlins in 2002. Torborg and his coaches moved from Montreal to Miami after Expos owner Jeffrey Loria swapped franchises with Marlins owner John Henry in a complicated three-team ownership maneuver that also involved the Boston Red Sox and Major League Baseball.
Although he managed for 11 years, Torborg never took a team to a division title. That was a disappointment to fans of the New York Mets, since Torborg was a native of nearby Plainfield, NJ, grew up in Westfield, and was a college star at Rutgers New Brunswick.
The Mets more than doubled his previous salary, reportedly signing him to a four-year deal worth $1.7 million – then considered big bucks for a manager.
The bespectacled field boss lasted only part-way into the second year.
Jeff Torborg (left) gets pointers from Braves manager Bobby Cox before a game at Shea Stadium. … [+] (Photo by M Digirolamo/Bruce Bennett Studios via Getty Images Studios/Getty Images)
A rare display of the Torborg temper came in the last month of the 1992 campaign, after he got into an on-the-field shouting and shoving match with Mets outfielder Vince Coleman, who vehemently objected to being called out on strikes. The player was suspended for the rest of the season.
Top-heavy with aging veterans, the ‘92 Mets also featured Bobby Bonilla, Eddie Murray, and Bret Saberhagen plus the top payroll in the major leagues at that time ($45 million). Yet the team finished fifth in the six-team National League East, 24 games out of first place.
Dubbed “The Worst Team Money Could Buy” in a book by Bob Klapisch and John Harper, the 1993 Mets started 13-25 and Torborg got the boot, with volatile Dallas Green replacing him as manager.
Rejecting Steinbrenner
Torborg might have joined Green, Yogi Berra, Joe Torre, Casey Stengel, and Buck Showalter as men who managed both the Mets and Yankees had he not rebuffed multiple offers from Steinbrenner.
He reportedly told friends he did not wish to join the managerial merry-go-round at Yankee Stadium, where the impatient and enigmatic owner often hired and fired the same men – including Billy Martin five times.
Torborg’s lifetime record as a manager was 634-718, a .469 winning percentage.
As a player, Torborg hit just .214 in 10 seasons, split between the Los Angeles Dodgers and California Angels, but displayed his baseball acumen by catching the 1965 perfect game thrown by Sandy Koufax and no-hitters thrown by Nolan Ryan in 1970 and Bill Singer in 1973.
Torborg always maintained that his college batting skills disappeared after he received conflicting advice from coaches when he slumped early in his professional career.
Though he lost his swing, Torborg never lost his voice. When he wasn’t coaching or managing, he broadcast baseball for FOX, CBS Radio, and the Atlanta Braves.
A deeply religious man, Torborg and his wife Suzie – a former Miss New Jersey – had three sons, one of whom (Dale) was a minor-league first baseman before becoming a professional wrestler.
The Torborgs, married nearly 62 years, had four children and two great-grandchildren.
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Dan Schlossberg