Mike Scioscia

Lore & Background

Scioscia attended Springfield High School in the suburbs of Philadelphia, where he was a catcher for future major leaguer Bob Gibson (not to be confused with the Hall of Fame pitcher of the same name). He was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first round (19th overall pick) of the 1976 amateur draft. Scioscia debuted for the Dodgers in 1980 and played 12 years for the team. He learned Spanish to better communicate with rookie sensation Fernando Valenzuela in 1981. He went to the San Diego Padres in 1993 but suffered a torn rotator cuff during spring training and did not play in any regular season games. He closed out his career with the Texas Rangers in 1994 after a failed comeback attempt, again without playing in any regular season games. Scioscia was exclusively a catcher, known for his defense. He was involved in three no-hitters: on the losing end of Nolan Ryan's fifth no-hitter on September 26, 1981, and on the winning side catching Fernando Valenzuela's on June 29, 1990, and Kevin Gross's on August 17, 1992. He caught 136 shutouts, ranking fourth all-time among major league catchers. He used the same catcher's mitt for most of his playing career.

In Their Own Story

The humidity hangs heavy over Arlington Stadium in the late summer of 1992. Mike Scioscia crouches behind the plate, mud staining his Angels jersey from a previous slide. He signals to the pitcher, calm amidst the roar of the Texas crowd. A pitch flashes; he blocks it with a sharp thud, holding his ground against a charging runner. The umpire calls him safe. For a moment, there is silence before the game resumes, a testament to the quiet authority Scioscia commanded in every dugout he entered.

Reader's Guide

Scioscia managed the Anaheim Angels / Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim / Los Angeles Angels from 2000 to 2018. He led the Angels to their only-to-date World Series championship in 2002. He is the Angels' all-time managerial leader in wins, games managed, and division titles. He was honored with the American League Manager of the Year Award in 2002 and 2009. On May 8, 2011, he became the 56th manager to win 1,000 or more games, and the 23rd to have all 1,000 or more victories with a single team.

Did You Know?

• Scioscia was 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 hit a dramatic, ninth-inning, game-tying home run off Dwight Gooden in Game 4 of the 1988 NLCS.
• He became the 17th person to win a World Series as both a player and a manager.
• Scioscia was knocked unconscious during a collision with Jack Clark in July 1985 but still held onto the ball.