According to Scott Thompson of Fox News On Monday, former Toronto Blue Jays manager Jimy Williams passed away on Friday at the age of 80. Williams led the Blue Jays from 1986 to 1989. During that period, the Blue Jays had a record of 281 wins and 241 losses, a winning percentage of .538.
Williams was the Blue Jays’ manager for the best team ever to fail to make the postseason. That happened in 1987. Toronto had the second-best record in all of Major League Baseball with 96 wins and 66 losses. However, because they did not win the American League East, they did not reach the postseason. The only team better than the Blue Jays was the Detroit Tigers, who had a record of 98 wins and 64 losses. Back then, only the division winners made it to the playoffs. This meant Toronto was not bound to the postseason.
The other thing that distinguished the 1987 Blue Jays was their collapse in the final week of the regular season. Toronto has lost its last seven games as it has been beaten four times by the Tigers and three times by the Milwaukee Brewers.
As a player, Williams was a center fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1966 and 1967. He also managed the Boston Red Sox from 1997 to 2001 and the Houston Astros from 2002 to 2004. Williams was the American League Manager of the Year in 1999. The Red Sox had a record of 94 wins and 68 losses.
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