Cito Gaston
| Birthdate | 03/17/1944 |
| Death Date | |
| Debut Year | 1967 |
| Year of Induction | |
| Teams | Blue Jays, Braves, Padres, Pirates |
| Position | Manager |
The 1st African-American to win a World Series, Cito Gaston managed Toronto for 12 years & won 4 AL East titles, 2 pennants, & 2 World Series.
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All Star Cito Gaston enjoyed an 11-year MLB career before becoming a successful manager
All Star Cito Gaston enjoyed an 11-year MLB career before becoming a successful manager
Clarence “Cito” Gaston played for the Padres, Braves, and Pirates during his 11-year big league career. He broke in with 9 games with the Braves in 1967. The next season Gaston was drafted by the Padres in the expansion draft.
His career year came in 1970 in San Diego. The centerfielder tallied 186 hits, 26 doubles, 9 triples, 29 homers, and 93 RBI – all career highs never to be eclipsed. His .318 average, .364 on-base percentage, .543 slugging percentage and 317 total bases are likewise his best marks.
Gaston had only four more seasons in which he played at least 100 games. He retired in 1978 with 799 hits, 91 homers, 387 RBI, and a .256 average.
In 1982 Gaston became the hitting coach for the Toronto Blue Jays. He remained in that position until May, 1989 when he was named the Jays manager. His 12 years as the Toronto skipper included back-to-back World Series titles.
In the collection is this game-used lineup card signed by Gaston. In the May 23, 2009 night game, the Jays dropped a 4-3 contest to the hometown Atlanta Braves. Gaston signed the bottom of the card as Toronto manager. The lineup is filled with a nondescript nine, save third baseman Scott Rolen. A SABRmetric darling, Rolen was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2023.
In this contest Rolen went 1-for-3 with a double and a walk. The two-base hit was the 423rd of his career which tied him with Cooperstown’s Willie Stargell.
Cito Gaston was highly successful in his 13 years as Blue Jays manager
Cito Gaston was highly successful in his 13 years as Blue Jays manager
Does Cito Gaston belong in the Hall of Fame? He managed the Blue Jays from 1989 to 1997, and again from 2008 to 2010. During this time, he managed the Blue Jays to four American League East division titles (1989, 1991, 1992 and 1993), two American League pennants (1992 and 1993) and two World Series titles (1992 and 1993).
Of the 23 men who have managed teams to two or more World Series titles, 15 are in the Hall of Fame with Bruce Bochy and Terry Francona well on their way. Gaston is one of only six others on the outside looking into Cooperstown.
On the back of Major League Baseball lineup cards are the ground rules in the park where the game is played. This contest was played in Toronto’s Skydome. Accordingly, one of the more memorable rules was, “ball striking any portion offence or screen in back of home plate: In Play.-“, as any of the Toronto faithful could tell you.
