Editorials

Today In Dodger History: Dodgers Hire Manager Joe Torre In 2007

November 1, 2007

After not re-signing with the New York Yankees, the Dodgers made Joe Torre their manager after signing him to a three-year, $13 million dollar deal. The Dodgers position became available after Grady Little resigned a couple days earlier.



Torre had been with the Yankees for 12 seasons, making the playoffs every year and winning four World Series titles; however, after being eliminated in the first round of the postseason in 2007, the Yankees offered Torre a one-year, incentive-based contract that he wouldn’t accept. The Dodgers allowed Torre to bring third base coach Larry Bowa and hitting coach Don Mattingly with him from New York. Torre kept first base coach Mariano Duncan and pitching coach Rick Honeycutt and chose Bob Schaefer to be the bench coach. Ken Howell was promoted from Triple-A to be the bullpen coach.

In his first season, Torre led the Dodgers to an NL West title with an 84-78 record. The Dodgers would sweep the Chicago Cubs in the NLDS before falling to the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLCS. It would be Torre’s 13th straight postseason and the Dodgers first playoff appearance since 2004.

In 2009, the Dodgers went 95-67 and were NL West champions for the second consecutive year. They had the best record in the NL and were the top seed in the playoffs. The team would go on to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLDS and head into a rematch with the Phillies. The Dodgers would lose again to the Phillies and fail to make the World Series.

In 2010, the Dodgers went 80-82 and were fourth in the NL West. In September, Torre announced that he would be retiring following the season and Mattingly was named the Dodger manager of the future.

Since his retirement, Torre became Executive Vice President for Baseball Operations for Major League Baseball and managed the U.S.A. team in the 2013 World Baseball Classic.

 

Staff Writer

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