Over the years, the New York Yankees have had some very successful managers that have led them to 27 World Championships. Five of those managers have also managed the New York Mets, but with far less success. Casey Stengel, Joe Torre, Yogi Berra, Dallas Green, and now as of yesterday Buck Showalter. Mets owner Steve Cohen announced the new Mets manager via his Twitter account. But strangely, all but one did not have any success with the Mets.
Casey Stengel, Yankees manager: 1949-60 – Mets manager: 1962-65
During his tenure, Casey Stengel was one of the most successful Yankee managers taking them to seven World Championships. He also took the Yankees to ten American League pennants during his 12 years with the Yankees. It was a different story when he took over the management of the Mets.
In 1962, the New York Mets came on the scene as the first National League expansion team; they selected former Yankee manager Casey Stengel to lead the team. Unfortunately, the results weren’t good; Stengel lost a historic 120 games that year, a stat that still holds today. Following two more 100 game plus losing seasons, Stengel retired after breaking his hip in 1965.
Yogi Berra, Yankees manager: 1964, 1984-85 – Mets manager: 1972-75
Yogi Berra wasn’t the winningest Yankee manager, but he did win a pennant with both the Yankees and the New York Mets. After George Steinbrenner fired Yogi in 1965, he became a coach for the cross-town Mets. In 1972, he became the Mets’ manager and won the NLCS against the Cincinnati Reds.
However, his success was short-lived. In 1973, he won just three more games than he lost, but nevertheless, he carried the team to the World Series, in which he lost four games to three. In 1974 he had a disastrous season with the Mets winning only 71 games. Finally, in 1975 after a poor start, the Mets had seen enough and fired Berra.
Joe Torre, Mets manager: 1977-81 – Yankees manager: 1996-2007
Joe Torre may be an iconic New York Yankee manager, but he managed several bad teams with little success before that. Long before his championship run with the Yankees, he managed the Mets for five years, starting in 1977. It was his first foray into managing, and it showed as he won only 286 games while losing 420. After five years, he was fired by the Mets.
Dallas Green, Yankees manager: 1989 – Mets manager: 1993-96
Many newer Yankee fans may not know that Dallas Green was ever a Yankee manager, but he was for 121 games in the failed 1989 season. Yankee owner George Steinbrenner fired him. But, just a few years later, he was hired by the New York Mets. That stint was just as bad; he had a 229-283 record in his four years at the helm of the Mets.
Buck Showalter, Yankee manager: 1992-95 – Mets manager: 2022 -current
Just being selected by the Mets, Buck Showalter has yet to show his abilities. After two losing seasons, the Mets hired Showalter to right the ship. Mets owner Steve Cohen has given him the tools to do it.Â
Showalter managed the New York Yankees for three years from 1992. During his four years as the Yankees’ manager, the team posted a record of 313–268. He finished first in the 1994 strike-shortened season. The Associated Press named him manager of the year. In 1995, he was the manager of the All-Star game. The Yankees won the Wild Card game that year but lost to the Seattle Mariners in the ALDS. Most recently, Showalter was a pre and post-game commentator for the Yankees on the YES Network.
Showalter’s management career has been mostly tainted by taking over loser teams, the Diamondbacks, the Rangers, the Orioles, and the Yankees during some poor years. But Showalter enters this challenge with two of the best pitchers in the business and a much better Mets team. Time will tell, but many analysts say with Showalter at the helm, the team could win their first World Series since 1986.