Mike Scioscia
Longest-tenured Angels manager and two-time World Series champion as a player.
Michael Lorri Scioscia (born November 27, 1958), nicknamed "Sosh" and "El Jefe" (Spanish for "The Boss"), is an American former catcher and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). He managed the Angels from the 2000 season through the 2018 season, and was the longest-tenured manager in MLB and second-longest-tenured coach/manager in the "Big Four" (MLB, NFL, NHL, and NBA), behind only Gregg Popovich, at the time of his retirement. As a player, Scioscia made his major league debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1980. He was selected to two All-Star Games and won two World Series over the course of his 13-year playing career, which was spent entirely with the Dodgers; this made him the only person in MLB history to spend his entire playing career with one team and entire managing career with another team with 10+ years in both organizations. He was signed by the San Diego Padres and Texas Rangers late in his career, but never appeared in a game for either team due to injury.
- Role
- Former Catcher / Manager
- Affiliation
- Los Angeles Angels (Anaheim Angels)
- World Series Title
- 2002 Champion
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
Scioscia was involved in three no-hitters in his career: he was on the losing end of Nolan Ryan's fifth no-hitter on September 26, 1981 vs. the Houston Astros, and on the winning side, he caught Fernando Valenzuela's on June 29, 1990 vs. the St. Louis Cardinals and Kevin Gross's on August 17, 1992 vs. the San Francisco Giants. He caught 136 shutouts during his career, ranking him fourth all-time among major league catchers. Scioscia used the same catcher's mitt for most of his playing career.
In Their Own Story
After managing in the minors and coaching for the Dodgers, Scioscia was hired by Angels general manager Bill Stoneman following the 1999 season. His leadership ended a 16-year playoff drought immediately, culminating in a dramatic 2002 World Series victory against his former teammate Dusty Baker's San Francisco Giants. This win made him the 17th person to win a World Series as both a player and a manager. The Angels enjoyed unprecedented success under his command, winning five division titles in six years and setting franchise records with 99 wins in 2002 and 100 wins in 2008. On May 8, 2011, Scioscia became the 56th manager to reach 1,000 wins, with all victories coming with a single team. Despite a rift developing with general manager Jerry Dipoto in 2012 over coaching staff decisions, Scioscia remained at the helm until his retirement after the 2018 season.
Reader's Guide
Scioscia is the Angels' all-time leader in wins and games managed, surpassing original manager Bill Rigney's totals in both categories in 2009 and 2010, respectively. He was also the longest tenured manager in Major League Baseball. In January 2009, he received a multi-year extension on his contract; his former contract ran through the 2010 season. The number of additional years created through this contract was 10 years, through 2018. Scioscia was honored as 2009 American League Major League Manager of Year by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (the official Manager of the Year award, as recognized by Major League Baseball).
Did You Know?
- Scioscia was involved in three no-hitters in his career: he was on the losing end of Nolan Ryan's fifth no-hitter on September 26, 1981 vs. the Houston Astros, and on the winning side, he caught Fernando Valenzuela's on
- Scioscia caught 136 shutouts during his career, ranking him fourth all-time among major league catchers.
- Scioscia used the same catcher's mitt for most of his playing career.
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