Joe Girardi
| Birthdate | 10/14/1964 |
| Death Date | |
| Debut Year | 1989 |
| Year of Induction | |
| Teams | Cardinals, Cubs, Marlins, Phillies, Rockies, Yankees |
| Positions | Catcher, Manager |
The Manager of the Year in his first season as a skipper with the Marlins, Joe Girardi won the World Series in his second season with the Yankees.
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Joe Girardi enjoyed an 15-year MLB playing career before moving to the dugout as a manager
Joe Girardi enjoyed an 15-year MLB playing career before moving to the dugout as a manager
Joe Girardi had 4,535 plate appearances as a big league player from 1989-2003. He made the most of his time, appearing in the postseason six time and winning it all three times with the Yankees. The catcher was behind the plate for Dwight Gooden‘s no-hitter and David Cone’s perfect game.
Girardi hit .267 with 1,100 hits, 1,446 total bases, and one All Star appearance in his playing career. He played for the Cubs, Yankees, and Cardinals before retiring.
Two years after hanging up his spikes, Girardi became the Yankees bench coach. In 2006 he was named manager of the Marlins. Just three years removed from their World Series triumph, the Marlins’ roster had been completely dismantled. Prognosticators had them losing 100 games in 2006.
Instead, Girardi led them to a 78-84 record. He became the first skipper from a losing team to be voted Manager of the Year. Writers recognized the difficulty of working for Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria, the man who killed the Montreal Expos. At the end of the season Loria fired Girardi with two years left on his managerial contract.
The Yankees hired Girardi as their pilot for the 2008 season. In 2009 he led New York to 103 wins and the World Series title. In his ten years as Yankee skipper, New York averaged 91 wins per season. He was fired after a second-place finish in 2017.
Girardi was out of baseball for two seasons before taking the Phillies job for the Coronavirus-shortened 2020 season.
In the collection is a game-used lineup card from a Spring Training game on March 17, 2013. Girardi has signed the St. Patrick’s Day card as the Yanks skipper.
