On July 8, 1982, Billy Martin, who had for so many years feuded in the public eye with New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, got a special milestone against the club he had long played for and managed – his 1,000th career win as a manager.
Martin was manager of the Oakland Athletics in 1982, although, as it turned out, he wouldn’t be for much longer; he was fired by the A’s that winter after going 68-94 and finishing fifth in the American League West. He returned to manage the Yankees in three separate seasons – 1983, 1985, and 1988 – and even had a coaching staff ready for the 1990 season before his death on Christmas Day 1989.
Mick Gillispie told the story of Martin’s win and his bizarre relationship with the Yankees during the sixth inning of Tennessee’s game with the Birmingham Barons on Tuesday.
Andrew Green
James Rowe
Leave a Reply