Former MLB manager and player Jeff Torborg died Sunday at the age of 83.
The news was first announced by the Baseball Hall of Fame.
The Hall of Fame remembers 1965 World Series champion and 1990 AL Manager of the Year Jeff Torborg, who passed away Sunday morning.
A 10-year veteran of the Dodgers and Angels, Torborg caught Sandy Koufax’s perfect game, Bill Singer’s no-hitter and Nolan Ryan’s first no-hitter. pic.twitter.com/PdLdY0f9sQ
— National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum ⚾ (@baseballhall) January 20, 2025
Torborg won the 1990 American League Manager of the Year award for leading the Chicago White Sox to a 94-68 second-place finish in the AL West. That was a 25-game improvement from the White Sox’s previous season, during which they finished last in the division.
Unfortunately for Torborg and the White Sox, MLB was still comprised of two divisions in 1990. (The Boston Red Sox finished first in the AL East that season with an 88-74 record.) Had there been a wild-card playoff team or three divisions — which MLB implemented four years later — Chicago would have qualified for the postseason.
The White Sox noted Torborg’s death on social media, as did Ozzie Guillen, who played three seasons for him.
Former MLB catcher and Chicago White Sox manager Jeff Torborg passed away this morning in Westfield, N.J. He was 83 years old.
Torborg was named the 1990 A.L. Manager of the Year after guiding the Sox to a 94-68 record that season, a 25-game improvement from the previous year. pic.twitter.com/cKpNNdLod7
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) January 20, 2025
I am heartbroken. My mentor and my friend has passed away. someone who truly understood me and gave me a chance to lead, to be a captain. So much of my way of managing and being in a clubhouse came from him.
To his entire family, my deepest sympathy. Jeff, I will miss you pic.twitter.com/VHA30fswkZ— Ozzie Guillen (@OzzieGuillen) January 20, 2025
That 1990 season was Torborg’s best among his 11 years as a major league manager. The White Sox went 87–75 the following season. He also managed the Cleveland Indians, New York Mets, Montreal Expos and Florida Marlins during his career.
When he started with Cleveland in 1977, Torborg was the youngest manager in MLB at 35 years old. He was nearly named the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ skipper in 1976, but the team opted to hire Tommy Lasorda. (That worked out quite well, as Lasorda won two World Series titles and 1,599 games, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1997.)
Torborg finished with an overall record of 634-718 and never managed a team to the postseason.
He was also a coach with the New York Yankees from 1979-88 and a broadcaster with CBS Radio and Fox for six years before returning to managing in 2000.
Very sad to hear of the passing of former Mets manager Jeff Torborg. Extremely nice man with a good sense of humor. Upon seeing the busts of Mets Hall of Famers in Shea’s Diamond Club he said “They should have one of me. I was the biggest bust they ever had!” RIP.
— Howie Rose (@HowieRose) January 20, 2025
Torborg played 10 seasons in the majors as a catcher for the Dodgers and California Angels. He batted .214 with a .533 OPS, eight home runs, 42 doubles and 101 RBI for his career and was part of the Dodgers’ World Series championship team in 1965.
Torborg’s most notable achievements as a player were catching Sandy Koufax’s perfect game in 1965, Bill Singer’s no-hitter in 1970 and Nolan Ryan’s first no-hitter in 1973.
Rutgers retired Torborg’s No. 10 jersey in 1992 and he was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame two years later. He earned All-American honors in 1963 and set a program record with a .540 batting average.
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