“You’ll be the manager while we look around for one,” Boston Red Sox general manager Lou Gorman told Joe Morgan. Without hesitation, Morgan replied, “Don’t look around. You’re looking at him right now. It’s me.”
Watch What’s Trending Now!
That confidence was hardly misplaced, as Boston went on to win 12 straight games under his leadership. To make it even more remarkable, they won 19 of their first 20 games, turning 1998 into the unforgettable “Morgan’s Magic” season. For the Walpole native, it was the defining chapter of a baseball career built over decades. Now, following his death on Saturday at 95, the Red Sox are mourning the man who became one of the most beloved figures in the organization.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Red Sox Hall of Famer and former manager Joe Morgan. He was a truly beloved fixture of the Red Sox, spending nearly two decades with the organization. We send our love to the Morgan family,” the official X post read.
Joseph Michael Morgan was born on November 19, 1930, to Irish immigrants from County Clare. His life in baseball spanned four decades while he managed the responsibilities of a player, coach, scout, and manager, but before he was any of those things, he was “Tollway Joe.”
Red Sox broadcaster Joe Castiglione once told the audience, “You can all relate to Joe because at one time or another, he’s probably done the job you do.”
Despite this, snow was familiar territory for him. He attended Boston College on a hockey scholarship. Morgan, who was elected captain, was also the leading scorer for the university’s team in 1952.
“If I was born in Canada, I would have played in the NHL for a long, long time,” he once said. “I had the ability. All I needed was more ice time growing up.”
Yet destiny had something else in store for him, and he accepted a $22,500 bonus from the Atlanta Braves to pursue a baseball career. He even left school to do so, beginning his professional career as a shortstop in Triple-A with the Hartford club.
Then the Army called, and he spent years laying phone lines at Fort Sill in Oklahoma.
Morgan came back to baseball and made it to the major leagues in 1959. He played a total of 88 games with the Milwaukee Braves, Kansas City Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies, Cleveland Indians, and St. Louis Cardinals. After hanging up his boots as a player in 1964, he began managing minor league clubs in ‘66. The Pittsburgh Pirates offered him an additional $10,000 for the role of a player-manager of their Raleigh affiliate.
“You can’t meet a more honest guy,” Norwood star Richie Hebner said, who played for Morgan. “You’ve got to like to play for the guy. There’s no bull. He won’t con anybody.”
Joe earned the Minor League Manager of the Year award in 1973. Shortly afterward, he joined the Red Sox’s Triple-A club in Pawtucket. He spent nine years in the organization, helping develop future stars such as Jim Rice, Wade Boggs, Bruce Hurst, and Fred Lynn, among many others. Despite this experience, though, he never received a call from a major league club.
Back in 1979, the minor league coach admitted that he expected major league clubs to have noticed him by then, but he also mentioned:
“I really don’t have a timetable. There’s no such animal. But if I’m going to be a big-league manager, I’d like to be able to move around a little bit.”
He later attributed it to his own understated style, realizing that being good at something doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll attract attention from the right people.
“You’ve got to sell yourself,” he said.
Joe Morgan’s laid-back style and big-league tenure
His story of relentless dedication to his work and unwavering faith in himself offers an important life lesson to many. Joe Morgan spent two more years as a scout before becoming the Red Sox’s first-base coach in 1985. He eventually shifted to third base the following year. In 1988, he took over as the interim manager after the All-Star break.
The rest became one of the biggest highlights for both Morgan and the Red Sox. The team was fourth when he replaced John McNamara. They went on to become the top team in the AL East. The next season wasn’t as incredible. But in 1990, the Red Sox managed to clinch the divisional title on the last day of the season.
While his old-time expressions and management styles earned a lot of praise and a significant salary boost, he had also earned some criticism. Morgan even acknowledged reading a letter from a fan who claimed that he had the wrong lineup, but former Red Sox star and special assistant general manager Johnny Pesky said that “Nobody ever left his dugout mad. He got along with players and would answer media questions by the hour.”
Morgan earned a one-year extension and a raise to $375,000 in June 1991, but following poor performance from the team, he was let go in October.
“They pay the bills, they can do what they want, and that’s the way it should be,” he said without remorse.
But he made sure to tell the front office that the team wasn’t as good as they thought. Boston finished the following season in last place.
Joe Morgan was done with managing and even turned down the role of assistant general manager.
“The worst part of this job is probably the time it takes out of your life, your soul,” the then-60-year-old said. “It’s a demanding job, especially when you live in the area.”
He then went home to his family and spent time playing golf and gardening. Morgan was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990.
His wife, Dorothy, passed away in 2016. The former player and coach died at the age of 95, though the exact cause of death was not disclosed. He is survived by his children, Catherine, Joseph Jr., William, and Barbara, along with six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
The baseball community mourns the loss of Morgan’s Magic, which defined his managerial legacy. But decades of dedication, particularly with the Boston Red Sox, made him the most beloved part of the organization, even after the magic faded.