Jeff Torborg, 1990 American League Manager of the Year with White Sox, dies at 83
Jeff Torborg, who was the 1990 American League Manager of the Year with the White Sox, died Sunday at 83 in his hometown of Westfield, New Jersey, the team announced.
‘‘I am heartbroken,’’ former Sox player and manager Ozzie Guillen posted on X. ‘‘My mentor and my friend has passed away. Someone who truly understood me and gave me a chance to lead, to be a captain. So much of my way of managing and being in a clubhouse came from him.’’
Torborg managed the Sox from 1989 to 1991, winning 94 games in 1990 — 25 more than the season before. But the Sox finished in second place in the AL West, nine games behind the Athletics.
The Sox won 87 games the next year, but Torborg left after the season to manage the Mets, who fired him in the second year of a four-year deal. He went on to manage the Expos in 2001 and the Marlins in 2002-03. The Marlins were 16-22 when they fired Torborg in 2003 and replaced him with Jack McKeon, who led them to a World Series title.
Torborg’s first managerial job was with Cleveland in 1977-79. He then spent 10 years as a coach for the Yankees. His lifetime record as a manager was 634-718 (.469).
As a catcher, Torborg caught three no-hitters in 10 major-league seasons with the Dodgers (1964-70) and Angels (1971-73). He’s one of only 18 players to have been the starting catcher for at least three no-hitters.
His first was one of the best pitching performances in MLB history: Sandy Koufax’s perfect game against the Cubs on Sept. 9, 1965. Torborg, a .214 career hitter, then guided Dodgers right-hander Bill Singer to a no-hitter against the Phillies in 1970 and caught the first of Nolan Ryan’s record seven no-hitters in 1973.
Torborg also had a long career as a broadcaster, calling three World Series (1995-97) alongside Vin Scully for CBS radio. He contributed to Fox broadcasts from 1996 to 2000 and 2004 to ’05. Torborg’s final season in baseball was 2006, when he was a TV analyst for Braves games.