Billy Martin's fifth stint as Yankees manager began the way the first four had: with fire, with wins, and with the unmistakable sense that it was all going to end badly. The 1988 Yankees went 40-28 under Martin -- a .588 winning percentage that would've projected to 95 wins over a full season. They held first place in the AL East. The lineup, anchored by Don Mattingly, Dave Winfield, and a newly acquired Jack Clark, was dangerous. For 68 games, it looked like Billy Martin's story might finally get the ending it deserved. Then came the Tigers series, the firing, and the slow unraveling that ended with a pickup truck on an icy road in upstate New York.
The Hiring Nobody Questioned
Steinbrenner brought Martin back after moving Lou Piniella from the dugout to the general manager's office following the 1987 season. The announcement surprised exactly nobody. Martin and Steinbrenner had one of the most codependent relationships in sports history -- the owner kept firing the manager, and the manager kept coming back. Five separate tenures across 13 years. It was exhausting for everyone except the two men at its center, who seemed to thrive on the dysfunction.
Martin arrived in spring training with his usual intensity. He pushed players hard. He fought with umpires. He ran the game with an aggressive, instinct-driven approach that could be brilliant or reckless depending on the day. (The line between genius and chaos was always thin with Martin. In 1988, it was thinner than ever.)
The First 68 Games
The results were undeniable. The Yankees started fast under Martin, building a 40-28 record that put them in first place in the AL East. Martin's ability to get the most out of a roster -- through a combination of tactical brilliance, motivational intensity, and sheer force of personality -- was on full display. Henderson was running wild on the bases. Winfield was driving in runs. The pitching staff, while not dominant, was competitive enough to win.
The 40-28 start represented a .588 winning percentage that projected to 95 wins -- easily enough to contend for the division title. Martin's track record suggested he could maintain that pace. What his track record also suggested was that the inevitable explosion was coming. It always did.
The Tigers Series
The turning point arrived in the form of a devastating series against the Detroit Tigers. The Yankees entered with a half-game lead in the AL East, sitting in first place and looking like legitimate contenders. What followed was a sweep featuring multiple walk-off losses -- the kind of series that doesn't just cost you games but costs you the psychological edge that winners need.
The Yankees went from first place by half a game to trailing by 2.5 games in the span of a few days. The series didn't just change the standings -- it changed the season's trajectory. Whatever confidence Martin had built over 68 games evaporated in Detroit. The front office's patience, already thin, ran out.
June 23: The Final Firing
On June 23, Steinbrenner fired Martin for the fifth and last time. The record stood at 40-28 -- by far the best winning percentage of any manager who'd be fired that year. But Steinbrenner didn't fire managers based on records. He fired them based on feelings, and the feeling after the Tigers series was that Martin had lost control.
Piniella left the GM's office and returned to the dugout, taking over a team that had been competitive under Martin but now faced an uphill climb. Under Piniella, the Yankees went 45-48 the rest of the way -- a losing record that dropped them from contention to fifth place. The late-season frustration from Mattingly and the wasted brilliance of Henderson's stolen base record only sharpened the sense that something was fundamentally broken.
The Death of Billy Martin
Martin stayed in the Yankees' orbit after the firing, accepting a consultant's role that kept him on the payroll without giving him any real authority. Steinbrenner reportedly planned to bring him back for a sixth managerial stint -- because of course he did. But that plan died on Christmas Day 1989.
On December 25, Martin was killed when the pickup truck he was a passenger in skidded off an icy road near his home in Fenton, New York, and plummeted down an embankment. He was 61 years old. The driver, William Reedy, survived. The details of the accident -- the icy road, the remote location, the holiday timing -- added layers of tragedy to a life that had always been lived at full speed.
The Yankees retired Martin's number 1 the following August. Steinbrenner wept at the ceremony. Whatever their relationship had been -- toxic, codependent, occasionally brilliant -- it was over. Five hirings and five firings, ending not with another press conference but with a funeral.
The Martin Legacy
Martin's five stints as Yankees manager produced a combined record of 556-385 (.591). He won more games than he lost every single time. He won a World Series in 1977. He could take a mediocre roster and make it competitive through sheer tactical aggression. And he couldn't keep a job for more than two consecutive seasons because his personality was as volatile as his baseball mind was sharp.
(The tragedy of Billy Martin wasn't that he was a bad manager. It was that he was a great manager who couldn't get out of his own way. The 1988 firing -- his last -- captured both sides of that coin: 40 wins in 68 games, followed by a firing that nobody could've prevented.)
| Record as Manager (1988) | 40-28 (.588) |
| Games Managed | 68 |
| Career Yankees Record | 556-385 (.591) |
| Total Stints as Manager | 5 (1975-78, 1979, 1983, 1985, 1988) |
| World Series Wins | 1 (1977) |
| Date of Final Firing | June 23, 1988 |
| Date of Death | December 25, 1989 |
Martin Hired -- Again
Steinbrenner replaces Piniella with Martin for the fifth time, moving Piniella to the GM's office.
40-28 Start
Martin's aggressive style produces results. The Yankees build a first-place record through the first 68 games.
The Tigers Series
The Yankees enter a critical series against Detroit with a half-game lead and get swept with multiple walk-off losses.
Fired for the Last Time
Steinbrenner fires Martin after 68 games. Piniella returns to the dugout. Martin's managing career is over, though nobody knows it yet.
Consultant Role
Martin accepts a special consultant position with the Yankees. Steinbrenner reportedly plans to bring him back for a sixth stint.
Billy Martin Dies
Martin is killed in a pickup truck accident near Fenton, New York. He's 61 years old. The Yankees retire his number 1 the following August.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was Billy Martin's record in his final stint as Yankees manager?
Martin went 40-28 in 68 games during his fifth and final stint in 1988. Despite the winning record and first-place standing, he was fired on June 23 after a devastating series loss to the Detroit Tigers.
How did Billy Martin die?
Martin was killed on December 25, 1989, when the pickup truck he was riding in skidded off an icy road near his home in Fenton, New York, and went down an embankment. He was 61 years old. The driver, William Reedy, survived the accident.
How many times did Steinbrenner hire Billy Martin?
Steinbrenner hired Martin to manage the Yankees five separate times: 1975-78, 1979, 1983, 1985, and 1988. Martin's combined record across all five stints was 556-385 (.591), including the 1977 World Series championship.