| Jack McKeon | |
|---|---|
 McKeon in 1983 | |
| Manager | |
| Born: November 23, 1930 South Amboy, New Jersey, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 6, 1973, for the Kansas City Royals | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 28, 2011, for the Florida Marlins | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Games managed | 2,042 |
| Managerial record | 1,051–990 |
| Winning % | .515 |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
John Aloysius McKeon[1] (/məˈkiːən/; born November 23, 1930),[2][3] nicknamed "Trader Jack," is an American former Major League Baseball manager and front-office executive.
In 2003, at age 72, he won a World Series as manager of the Florida Marlins. Two full seasons removed from his previous managing job, McKeon had begun the 2003 season in retirement, but on May 11, he was induced to return to uniform to replace Jeff Torborg as the Marlins' skipper. The team was 16–22 and in next-to-last place in the National League East Division. Described upon his hiring by Marlins' general manager Larry Beinfest as a "resurrection specialist,"[4] McKeon led the Marlins to a 75–49 win–loss record, a wild card berth, victories over the San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs in the National League divisional and championship series playoffs, and then a six-game World Series triumph over the New York Yankees.
He remained at the helm of the Marlins through 2005, then retired at age 74. In 2011, he took over the Marlins on June 20 for a second time as interim manager following the resignation of Edwin Rodríguez and served out the season. In so doing he became, at 80, the second oldest manager in big league history, behind only Connie Mack. He retired again at the end of the season with a career managerial record of 1,051–990–1 (.515).[5]
McKeon previously managed the Kansas City Royals (1973–1975), Oakland Athletics (parts of both 1977 and 1978), San Diego Padres (1988–1990), and Cincinnati Reds (1997–2000). From July 7, 1980, through September 22, 1990, he served as the general manager of the Padres, assembling the team which won the 1984 National League pennant, the first in franchise history.
- ^ "Jack McKeon", Retrosheet. Accessed May 15, 2024.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
WorldSerieswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Reusse, Patrick (October 18, 2003). "McKeon, young Marlins work magic". Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Tom Kelly and Jack McKeon share the hometown of South Amboy, N.J.
- ^ Nobles, Charlie (May 12, 2003). "BASEBALL: McKeon Replaces Torborg". The New York Times. Retrieved 2015-06-02.
- ^ "Jack McKeon". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 22, 2023.