Davey Johnson, Manager of the 1986 World Series–Winning Mets, Dies at 82

Davey Johnson, the veteran major league manager who guided the New York Mets to their last World Series title in 1986 and who earlier won two championships as a player with the Baltimore Orioles, has died. He was 82, the Mets' regional cable network SNY said Saturday morning; no cause of death was released.

Johnson was one of a small number of figures in baseball history to win World Series rings both as a player and as a manager. As the Orioles' second baseman he was part of two World Series winners and in 1969 he made the final out of that year's Fall Classic when Baltimore lost to the Mets. Seventeen years later he managed the 1986 Mets to a World Series championship, a team long remembered in New York sports lore.

Johnson's managerial resume included stints with the New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds, Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals. He was respected for his baseball knowledge and for his candid, sometimes contrarian, approach to lineup construction and pitching management.

Born in 1942, Johnson's career in the major leagues spanned decades and multiple roles. He was an All-Star as a player and later became a sought-after manager and bench coach, earning particular acclaim for the Mets' run in the mid-1980s. The 1986 Mets overcame significant midseason struggles to capture the National League pennant and win the World Series, a team that remains the franchise's most recent championship.

News of Johnson's death prompted an outpouring of remembrances from media and figures connected to the Mets. Longtime Mets radio announcer Howie Rose wrote on X, "I learned more about the inner workings of baseball from Davey Johnson than from anyone else during my career," adding that he would always remember Johnson's influence.

Coincidentally, two of Johnson's former teams — the Mets and the Cincinnati Reds — were scheduled to face each other Saturday evening in Cincinnati. SNY's announcement did not provide details about funeral arrangements or surviving family. Major League Baseball and several clubs issued statements of condolence following the announcement.

Johnson's death closes a chapter on a figure who bridged the player and managerial eras of modern baseball. Players he coached and opponents he managed praised his competitive instincts and tactical mind throughout his career. His leadership of the 1986 Mets remains a defining achievement in a long and varied presence in the major leagues.