Gene Mauch

Mauch took command of the Phillies two games into the 1960 season. He managed them to a 58–94 record. The following year, they finished 47–107; from July 29 to August 20, they lost 23 straight games, which ranks as the third-longest losing streak in baseball history along with the longest in the 20th century.[3] The following year, they finished 81–80. This was their first season over .500 since 1953. He was named Manager of the Year by the Associated Press that year. "It makes me very happy," he said of the honor. "The only thing that will make me any happier is when the Phillies are the Team of the Year."[4] The Phillies improved to an 87–75 record the next season. In late September 1964, his Phillies had a record of 90–60, a 6½-game lead in the National League with 12 games left to play, and were starting a 7-game home stand. Mauch decided to start his two pitching aces, Jim Bunning and Chris Short, in 7 of the last 10 games, 4 of those starts on 2 days' rest (all of which they lost). The Phillies faded, losing 10 games in a row before winning their last 2 games to finish tied for second place with the Cincinnati Reds, one game behind the St. Louis Cardinals in a collapse infamously known as the "Phold." Ultimately, the season was the peak for the team in terms of wins and finish in his tenure. His last three full seasons all resulted in over .500 finishes, though they did not finish above 4th. Mauch was let go after the Phillies were 27–27 during the 1968 season. His 646 wins as manager stood as a team record until 2011, when Charlie Manuel passed him. Mauch still ranks 1st in club history with losses (684).

Mauch (left) managing the Montreal Expos in July 1969 at Shea Stadium, New York.

In 1969, Mauch became the inaugural manager of the Montreal Expos. In their first season, the team went 52–110. It was his second and last season managing a team with over 100 losses, while finishing in last place in the NL East. While the team finished in last the following year, they went 73–89, a 21-game improvement. Over the next five seasons, the Expos did not finish in last place, managing to win 70 games or more each season, though their best finish was 4th in 1973 and 1974, finishing 3½ behind the New York Mets in the former and 8½ behind the Pittsburgh Pirates in the latter. The Expos won 79 games in both years, though they did not finish above .500. After the team finished 75–87 in 1975, Mauch was fired by the Expos.[5]

In 1976, Mauch was hired by Calvin Griffith to manage the Minnesota Twins, which had Rod Carew at the time. He managed them to 85–77 that year, finishing in 3rd place and five games back of the Kansas City Royals. Despite having just one win less the following season, the Twins finished in 4th, this time 17½ games back to the Royals. The team plummeted to a 73–89 record in 1978, though they went 82–80 the following year, with 4th-place finishes in both years. Mauch resigned during the following season, with the team at 54–71 (the team would finish at 77–84).

Mauch took over during the strike shortened 1981 season for the California Angels. He went 29–34, while the team overall finished 51–59. In 1982, his Angels team won the American League's Western Division after going 93–69. The Angels won the first two games in Anaheim in a best-of-5 ALCS against the Milwaukee Brewers. The Angels needed only one more victory to advance to their first World Series. Chances were great, since no team had ever lost the ALCS after winning the first two games. But Milwaukee came back to win all three remaining games (in Milwaukee) and the AL pennant. Some blamed Mauch, who chose to start Tommy John and Bruce Kison, winners of the first two games, in Games 4 and 5 on three days' rest each. Mauch was replaced by John McNamara before being hired back in 1985.

In Mauch's return to managing the Angels in 1985, they finished 90–72, finishing one game behind the Kansas City Royals after being eliminated on the second to last day of the season.

In 1986, the Angels again won the Western title after going 92–70, and led in the fifth game of the (by now best-of-7) ALCS against the Boston Red Sox, just one strike away from the Fall Classic, but Boston's Dave Henderson hit a home run off Angels reliever Donnie Moore to put the Red Sox ahead. The Angels tied the game in the bottom of the 9th, but the Red Sox went on to win the game in extra innings as well as the remaining two games in Boston to take the Series, and denied Mauch his last real chance to win a pennant and a World Series championship.

The following year, the Angels went 75–87 along with a 7th-place finish (10 games back of the Minnesota Twins). Mauch suddenly retired for health reasons as manager of the Angels during spring training in 1988 at age 62.[6] The team's advance scout, Cookie Rojas, who had played for Mauch with the Phillies, took command of the club. Seven years after his retirement as a manager, Mauch returned in 1995 as bench coach with the Kansas City Royals to assist Bob Boone, who was in his first year as a big league skipper.

Compounding his ill-starred reputation as a manager, he was the skipper during two of the longest losing streaks in Major League history. His 1961 Phillies lost 23 in a row, one short of the Major League record. His expansion 1969 Expos lost 20 in a row before finally ending it, as Mauch had to endure media reminders of his teams' previous loss streaks in 1961 and 1964.

He managed his nephew Roy Smalley III during his tenure with the Minnesota Twins. Smalley's father, Roy Jr., married Mauch's sister, Jolene. Roy Jr. and Mauch grew up and played sandlot baseball together in Los Angeles, California.