Former Mets Manager Dallas Green Dies

Former Mets manager Dallas Green died on Wednesday. He was 82 years old.

Green took the helm of the Mets 38 games into the 1993 season, replacing Jeff Torborg. They went 46-78 under Green and finished in seventh and last place. The Mets were 55-58 and in third place when the strike hit in 1994. In 1995, they finished in second place despite a losing record — 69-75. He was relieved of his duties late in the 1996 season with a record of 59-72, with Bobby Valentine taking his place.

A week before he was fired, the always outspoken Green angered the Mets with comments about two of the Mets “Generation K” members, Jason Isringhausen and Paul Wilson. ‘These guys don’t belong in the big leagues,” he said according to The New York Times. ”That might sound harsh and negative, but what have they done to get here?”

Then-GM Joe McIlvaine admitted that statement factored in his decision. ”I wasn’t happy with that comment. That’s a comment you should make behind closed doors. When you’re trying to develop players, a big part of that is building confidence. I’m not sure how much that builds their confidence when you criticize them like that.”

Green also managed the Yankees, making him one of four men to manage both teams; Casey Stengel, Yogi Berra and Joe Torre were the others.