Casey Stengel: Legendary Baseball Manager & Personality

Casey Stengel Browse the article Casey Stengel

Casey Stengel

Position: Manager
Teams: Brooklyn Dodgers, 1934-1936; Boston Braves, 1938-1943; New York Yankees, 1949-1960; New York Mets, 1962-1965

Casey Stengel led the New York
Yankees to five straight World
Series victories.

Renowned for his unique misuse of the English language, Casey Stengel was as smart a field general and judge of talent as baseball ever produced.

Born in Kansas City, the city that provided him his nickname, Charles Dillon Stengel (1890-1975) signed his first pro contract in 1910. He played his way to Brooklyn by 1912, and he was a part-time outfielder for 14 years. He launched two game-winning homers for John McGraw’s New York Giants in 1923, after which McGraw promptly sold him to the Braves. Casey said, “if I’d hit three homers McGraw might’ve sent me clear out of the country.”

In 1925, Stengel was hired as president, manager, and outfielder for Worcester of the Eastern League. After the season, Stengel the president released Stengel the outfielder and fired Stengel the manager, and then resigned.

He moved to Toledo of the American Association in 1926, staying for six years. He coached in Brooklyn for two seasons, and got his first major-league managing stint in 1934 with the Dodgers. Casey managed Brooklyn from 1934 to ’36, finishing in the second division each year. In 1938, the Boston Braves hired him, and again he had no first-division finishes from 1938 to 1943. By 1944, Stengel was managing back in Triple-A, where he stayed for five years.

In 1949, Yankees GM George Weiss surprisingly hired Casey to run a Yankees team with Yogi Berra and Joe DiMaggio, and with Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford waiting in the wings. Even that awesome collection of talent ­couldn’t account for the Yankees stretch of five straight World Series wins.

Stengel was largely responsible for the revival of platooning. He always wanted to get big years out of as many players as possible. In his 12 years with the Bombers, they won 10 American League pennants and seven World Series, success unmatched in professional ball. His Yankees job came to an end when they lost the World Series in 1960. “I commenced winning pennants when I came here but I didn’t commence getting any younger,” said “The Old Per­fesser,” age 70.

George Weiss hired Casey to run the Mets in 1962. That year the Mets lost 120 games, but Stengel took it with a smile. Stengel had a way with words that can’t be imitated, dubbed “Stengelese” by the press. He saw the bottom and the top, and as he said himself, “There comes a time in every man’s life and I’ve had plenty of them.” He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1966.

Here are Casey Stengel's major league managing totals:

W

L

T

PCT

G

1,905

1,842

19

.508

3,766

See more information on the Baseball Hall of Fame:

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• Negro Leagues Hall of Fame Members
  

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