Joe Girardi

The Chicago Cubs drafted Girardi in the fifth round of the 1986 MLB draft. He spent four seasons in the Cubs minor leagues system before making his major league debut. In 1986, Girardi batted .309 in 68 games with the Peoria Chiefs of the Midwest League. In 1989, he also played for the Águilas del Zulia in the Venezuelan Winter League.[9]

Girardi made his Major League debut for the Cubs on April 4, 1989. During his rookie year with the Cubs, Girardi batted .248 with a home run and 14 runs batted in (RBIs) in 59 games played. In 1990, he played in 133 games, batting .270 with a home run and 38 RBIs. In 1991, he played in only 21 games, batting .191 with 6 RBIs. In 1992, he played in 91 games, batting .270 with a home run and 12 RBIs.

The Cubs left Girardi unprotected in the 1992 MLB expansion draft and the Colorado Rockies chose him. During his first year with the Rockies in 1993, he played in 86 games batting .290 with five triples, three home runs, and 31 RBIs. In 1994, he played in 93 games batting .276 with four triples, four home runs, and 34 RBIs. In 1995, he played in 125 games batting .262 with a career-high 8 home runs and 55 RBIs.

Girardi bats for the Yankees, 1996

After the 1995 season, the New York Yankees acquired Girardi from the Rockies in exchange for pitcher Mike DeJean. Girardi took the place of Mike Stanley.[10]

On May 14, 1996, Girardi caught Dwight Gooden's no-hitter. Girardi played in 124 games during the 1996 season, batting .294 with two home runs and 45 RBIs. In Game 6 of the 1996 World Series against the Atlanta Braves, Girardi hit an RBI triple against Greg Maddux that helped the Yankees win that game and ultimately the World Series.[11] When the Yankees made 25-year-old prospect Jorge Posada the backup catcher, Girardi became his mentor.[12] The two catchers split time for the Yankees through 1999.[13] In 1997, Girardi played in 112 games batting .264 with one home run and 50 RBIs. During the World Series-winning 1998 season, he played in 78 games batting .276 with three home runs and 31 RBIs. On July 18, 1999, Girardi caught David Cone's perfect game.[14] During the World Series-winning 1999 season, Girardi played in 65 games batting .239 with two home runs and 27 RBIs.

In 2000, Girardi left the Yankees and returned to the Cubs, where he was named to that year's All-Star team, as an injury replacement for Mike Piazza.[15] During the 2000 season, Girardi played in 106 games batting .278 with six home runs and 40 RBIs. In 2001, he played in 78 games batting .253 with three home runs and 25 RBIs.[16]

On June 22, 2002, Girardi was asked to speak to the hometown crowd after the Cubs' nationally televised matchup with the St. Louis Cardinals was cancelled by Commissioner Bud Selig, after Cardinals pitcher Darryl Kile was found dead earlier that day. Taking to the field microphone behind home plate, an emotional Girardi fought back tears as he said that "due to a tragedy in the Cardinal family" there would be no game that day. He never specified what had happened, instead asking fans to be respectful of the matter as they found out about it on their own and to pray.[17][18] Overall, during 2002, Girardi batted .226 with a home run and 26 RBIs in 90 games played.

In 2003, Girardi played for the Cardinals. He appeared in just 16 games, accumulating 23 at bats in which he batted .130 with one RBI and a .361 on-base plus slugging percentage. Girardi retired at the end of the season.

After the 2005 regular season, Girardi was named the manager of the Marlins, replacing manager Jack McKeon. His first notable action as manager was to prohibit facial hair, a policy similar to that of Yankees owner George Steinbrenner.[21]

The team had a 78–84 record with Girardi as manager,[22] and was in wild-card contention even though the team had the lowest payroll in Major League Baseball.[23] At $15 million, the Marlins' 2006 payroll was lower than the salaries of several MLB players. However, Girardi was nearly fired on August 6th [24] when he got into an argument with Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria during a game. According to witnesses and video footage, the Marlins owner was heckling home plate umpire Larry Vanover. When the umpire warned Girardi about the harassment, Girardi and his bench coach Gary Tuck then turned to Loria and told him to stop. Team executives had to talk Loria out of his stated desire to fire Girardi immediately after that game.[25]

On October 3, 2006 the Marlins announced that they had fired Girardi, despite him winning 2006 Manager of the Year. Girardi said only that he appreciated the opportunity to manage the club. Girardi was thought to be among the leading candidates to replace New York Yankees manager Joe Torre after they lost in the 2006 American League Division Series, but Torre remained with the team. Girardi was also a candidate for the Cubs' manager position, to succeed Dusty Baker; he interviewed for the job just days after leaving the Marlins. With his playing experience in Chicago, he was considered a front-runner for the position.[26] However, the Cubs chose to go with veteran manager Lou Piniella. Girardi took himself out of the running for the Washington Nationals' managerial job shortly thereafter and returned to the broadcast booth for the YES Network in 2007. He said taking another managerial job would have meant a third move in as many years for his family.[27] Despite Girardi's firing, he was rewarded for his achievements with the Marlins in 2006 with the National League Manager of the Year Award[28] and the Sporting News Manager of the Year Award for the National League.[29]

Yankees Manager Joe Girardi with General Ann E. Dunwoody before the N.Y. Mets vs. N.Y. Yankees game, June 14, 2009.

In June 2007 after the Baltimore Orioles fired manager Sam Perlozzo, Girardi interviewed for and was offered the position with the Orioles but turned it down.[30]

When the Yankees' managerial position became vacant after the 2007 season, the Yankees interviewed Girardi, Tony Peña, and Don Mattingly. On October 29, 2007, Girardi was reported to be the Yankees' choice[31] and the next day he signed a three-year contract, reportedly worth about $7.5 million.[32] Girardi chose to wear number 27 to signify his wish to lead the Yankees to their 27th world championship.[33] Girardi is a health enthusiast and banned sweets such as ice cream and soda in the clubhouse.[34]

On August 2, 2008, Girardi participated in his first Old Timers' Day, the last such game played at the original Yankee Stadium. Girardi participated in the next Old Timer's Day on July 19, 2009, the first in the new Yankee Stadium, as well as every one since then. Girardi's first year as a Yankees manager was unsuccessful as the team was eliminated from postseason contention for the first time since 1993, finishing 2008 with an 89–73 record, 3rd in the AL East.

In 2009, his second year as manager, the Yankees were a much improved team. He led the Yankees to their 40th AL pennant and their 27th World Series title (defeating the Philadelphia Phillies), his first World Series title as manager and the Yankees' first since 2000.[35]

Before the 2010 season, Girardi changed his number to 28. Newly acquired center-fielder Curtis Granderson had worn 28, but agreed to change his number to 14.[36]

Girardi as manager of the Yankees

Following the 2010 season, Girardi and the Yankees agreed to a three-year deal to keep him as the Yankees' manager.[37]

The Yankees' 2011 season was plagued by injuries that caused disabled list stints for several key players. Despite the setbacks, Girardi managed to lead the team to the AL East title. Rob Parker of ESPN commended Girardi's performance and felt his efforts were deserving of American League Manager of the Year, but felt he would not get the award due to the Yankees high payroll and what Parker alleges is an anti-Yankee bias.[38] The Yankees were defeated by the Detroit Tigers 3–2 in the divisional round.[39]

Girardi managing the Yankees in 2011

On June 15, 2012, Girardi won his 500th game as a manager.[40] The Yankees reached the playoffs and defeated the Baltimore Orioles 3–2 in the ALDS, but were swept by the Detroit Tigers in the ALCS on October 18, 2012. Girardi's 2013 season was marred by numerous player injuries and controversies, resulting in the Yankees finishing 85-77 (tied 3rd in AL East) and missing the postseason for the first time since 2008.

On October 10, 2013 Girardi signed a four-year deal worth $16 million to remain as manager of the New York Yankees.[41]

In 2014 the Yankees finished 84–78, (2nd place in AL East) and did not qualify for the postseason for the second straight year. In 2015, the Yankees finished 87–75, (2nd place again in AL East), clinching the top wild card spot which marked the team's first playoff appearance since 2012, but they lost to the Houston Astros in the 2015 American League Wild Card Game. On May 21, 2016, Girardi managed his 1,500th game.[42]

Joe Girardi presents President Barack Obama with a New York Yankees signed team jersey during the Yankees trip to the White House.

After missing the playoffs again in 2016, the Yankees finished 91–71 in 2017, second place in the AL East, and qualified for the postseason as the first Wild Card team in the AL. In 2017 he was successful on a higher percentage of replay challenges than any other MLB manager with 10 or more challenges, at 75.0%.[43] The Yankees beat the Twins, 8–4, in the wild card game and advanced to the ALDS, where they played the Cleveland Indians. After falling behind 0–2, amidst a controversial decision to not challenge a potential hit-by-pitch, Girardi's Yankees rallied back to win three games in a row and faced the Houston Astros in the ALCS. The series began in Houston, and after again falling behind 0–2, the team won all three games at Yankee Stadium, but the season ended after losing Games 6 and 7 back in Houston. Afterward, Girardi's contract expired and on October 26, the Yankees announced he would not return as manager, being replaced by Aaron Boone.[44][45][46]

On August 7, 2019, he became the United States national baseball team manager at the 2019 WBSC Premier12. [47] But, on October 16, 2019, he canceled so that he could seek managerial opportunities in Major League Baseball.[48]

On October 24, 2019, the Philadelphia Phillies hired Girardi as their manager, replacing Gabe Kapler.[49]

As of games played on September 27, 2020