Former Red Sox manager Jimy Williams dies at 80
The former manager, who spent parts of five seasons with the team, died Friday after brief illness.
Former Red Sox manager Jimy Williams, who guided the team from 1997-2001, died Friday after a brief illness, the team announced. He was 80.
After a brief playing career was cut short by a shoulder injury in 1967, Williams began his coaching career in 1974 and stayed in the game for 35 years, managing three major league teams along the way.
He spent just over three seasons in charge of the Blue Jays in the late 1980s, then spent several years as the third-base coach of the Braves, with whom he earned a World Series ring in 1995.
Williams was hired by Dan Duquette as Red Sox manager in November 1996, and after a rocky first season, led Boston to back-to-back 90-plus-win campaigns in 1998 and 1999. In the latter season, Williams was named AL Manager of the Year after the Sox won 94 games and reached the ALCS. He was fired amid an August 2001 slump, finishing his time in Boston with a 414-352 (.540) mark.
Williams managed the Astros through from 2002 to the midway point of 2004, when he was fired after a 44-44 start. He wrapped up his coaching career following two seasons as the Phillies’ bench coach, where he won a second World Series title in 2008.
Williams is survived by his wife of 47 years, Peggy, as well as his sons, Shawn and Brady, his daughters, Monica Farr and Jenna Williams, and his eight grandchildren.
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