#davey-johnson

#davey-johnson

"Davey was a bold manager who led with a quiet confidence and an unwavering belief in his team. He cared deeply for his players both on and off the field."

When the winning run scored in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, the New York Mets melted into a white-and-blue swirl near home plate, celebrating their implausible comeback from the brink of defeat. Right in the middle of all that humanity was Davey Johnson, who had arrived at the mob scene before many of his players. Those '86 Mets with all their brashness, belligerence and unapologetic brilliance would not have been the same without their 43-year-old manager.

Johnson was a power-hitting second baseman who played 13 years in the majors, sharing in World Series titles with the Baltimore Orioles in 1966 and 1970, and hitting 43 homers for the Atlanta Braves in 1973, serving as an offensive wingman for teammate Henry Aaron. "I just lost a friend, teammate and confidant," Hall of Famer and former Orioles ace Jim Palmer wrote in a text Saturday morning, about his former teammate.