On this day back in 2007, Joe Torre won his 2,000th game as a manager in a 10-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox. He won 286 with the Mets, 257 with the Braves and 351 with the Cardinals before coming to the Bronx and winning 1,173.
“When I took this job 12 years ago, I was closer to losing 2,000 than I was to winning 2,000. Without the opportunity here, I wouldn’t have been close. I thank the Steinbrenner family for allowing me to do this. It’s been a great ride.”
“I’m happy for him; he deserves it. He’s a Hall of Fame manager whenever he decides to call it quits. He’s the best.” -Derek Jeter
Mr. T was the first person in Major League Baseball history to have 2,000 wins as a manager as well as 2,000 hits as a player. He tacked on 259 more wins with the Dodgers before finishing his 29 year managing career with a record of 2326-1997 (.538) six AL Pennants and four World Series rings, all with the Yankees.
He was named the AL Manager of the Year in 1996 and 1998, and was unanimously elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014 by the Veterans Committee. He is fifth on the all time wins list for managers behind Bobby Cox, Tony La Russa, John McGraw and Connie Mack.
