BOSTON – Longtime baseball man Jimy Williams, who won 910 games as a major league manager and was the 1999 American League Manager of the Year, has died at the age of 80. Two of the teams that Williams skippered, the Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox, announced his passing. No cause of death or other details were reported.
“We are saddened to learn of the passing of former Blue Jays manager Jimy Williams,” the Blue Jays said in a satement. “His impact on our organization will forever be remembered.”
Williams went 910-790 in 12 seasons managing the Blue Jays (1986-89), Red Sox (1997-2001) and Houston Astros (2002-04). He took the Red Sox to the postseason in 1998 and 1999, going 5-9. He was manager of the year for Boston in 1999.
“Jimy Williams was a true staple and leader of the Red Sox,” Boston said in a news release to media.
Williams won two World Series rings as a coach, in 1995 as third base coach of the Atlanta Braves and 2008 as bench coach of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Williams played in just 14 games as a middle infielder in 1966 and ’67 with the St. Louis Cardinals. He went 3-for-13 in his career, with his first hit coming off Hall of Famer Juan Marichal.
He joined the Blue Jays as a base coach in 1980 after managing in the minor leagues for six years.
–Field Level Media