| John Mcnamara (baseball) |
Article Index for John |
Website Links For John |
Information AboutJohn Mcnamara (baseball) |
|
A peripatetic Minor League Catcher during his playing career, McNamara managed the Oakland Athletics (1969-70), San Diego Padres (1974-midseason 1977), Cincinnati Reds (1979-midseason 1982), California Angels (1983-84, part of 1996), Red Sox (1985-midseason 1988), and Cleveland Indians (1990-midseason 1991). Over all or parts of 19 seasons, he had a managing record of 1,167 – 1,242 (.484). His 1979 Cincinnati team, defeated by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the NLCS , was his only other postseason entry. McNamara also served as a major league coach for Oakland (1968-69), the San Francisco Giants (1971-73), and the Angels (1978). He managed many of the future stars of the Oakland dynasty of 1971-75 during almost a decade as a skipper in the Kansas City A's Farm System prior to 1968. 1986 WORLD SERIES McNamara's questionable managerial tatics during the 1986 World Series- particularly the last two games- received much criticism and scrutiny. During the now famous (or infamous in the eyes of Boston Red Sox fans) sixth game, McNamara removed ace pitcher Roger Clemens in the eighth inning despite the fact that Clemens was still pitching well. The story has become a Tall Tale of sorts concerning who exactly asked out. According to Clemens, it was McNamara who wanted him (against his will) to leave the game (in which the Red Sox had a 3-2 lead) since Clemens had a Blister on his pitching hand. McNamara on the other hand, claimed that Clemens wanted out rather than continue to pitch with the blister. McNamara also received criticism for pinch-hitting Clemens not with veteran slugger Don Baylor , but with rookie Mike Greenwell , who struck out on three pitches. After Clemens left, Calvin Schiraldi 's shaky performance on the mound led to McNamara sending Bob Stanley to the mound. After Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner 's error clinched the dramatic come from behind win for the Mets (and thus, sending the World Series to a seventh game), many criticized McNamara for knowingly leaving the injured Buckner on the field instead of inserting Dave Stapleton , whom McNamara had previously used to replace the battered Buckner in late innings for defensive purposes. The most frequently suggested theory for this decision was that McNamara left the veteran Buckner out there for sentimental purposes, given that the Red Sox were at one point a single strike away from winning the World Series. McNamara has neither confirmed nor denied this notion. In Game 7, McNamara bumped scheduled starting pitcher Oil Can Boyd in favor of a weary Bruce Hurst . Hurst, who would have been the Most Valuable Player of the 1986 World Series if the Red Sox hadn't blown Game 6, was working on short rest, even after receiving an extra day off when Game 7 was pushed back a day due to rain. Hurst pitched well for five innings, but visibly tired in the sixth, allowing the Mets to score three runs to tie the game. When the time came to replace Hurst, rather than bring in a well-rested Boyd (whom McNamara never even had warm up), McNamara once again dispatched Calvin Schiraldi to the mound despite his poor performance in Game 6. Schiraldi allowed a tie-breaking home run to the first batter he faced, Ray Knight , and ended up surrendering three runs while recording only a single out. The Red Sox went on to lose the game (8-5) and the series. EXTERNAL LINK
|
|
|