Davey Johnson was born on January 30th, 1943. Before enjoying great success as the Mets manager, Johnson was a hell of a second baseman mostly with the Orioles, but he had some great power years with the Braves and played also for the Phillies and Cubs.
He was a four time all-star, three time Gold Glove winner and was a three time World Series champion. Also in 1973, he at the time set the record for most Home Runs by a National League second baseman with 43.
After his retirement, the brainy Johnson (one of the first managers to use a computer) became the Mets manager after a stint in the minor leagues. He was their manager from 1984--1990 and is the most successful in the Mets history with a record of 595 and 417 with a winning percentage of .588. He is the first National League Manager to win at least 90 games in his first five years.
Of course he is also the Manager who led the team to their last World Series championship in 1986. Ironically, he also played a role in the Mets other World Series championship when he was the Orioles final out in the 1969 World Series, hitting a fly out to Cleon Jones.
He is a member of both the Mets and Orioles Hall of Fame. That said, in my opinion, he never got the credit he deserved as the greatest and most winningest manager in Mets history.
Lots of great quotes about Davey Johnson. A matter of fact there are over fifty in www.baseballquotations.com
This quote is about his entrance to the Mets Baseball Hall of Fame.
"I'm honored and humbled and you guys (the media) know it's not easy to humble me."
--Davey Johnson, on being selected for the Mets Hall of Fame
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