Cito Gaston turns 82 today.
Cito, the player, came up through the Atlanta Braves system and was a September call-up in 1967. He shared the outfield with Hank Aaron.
In 1968, the Padres picked him in the expansion draft. He had one standout season, hitting .318 with 29 homers and 93 RBI, and overall played 11 years as a strong defensive center fielder.
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As a Black player coming up through the Atlanta Braves system in the ‘60s, Cito faced challenges shaped by that era. His experiences—both as a player and as the manager who won two World Series with the Jays—suggest his life story would make a compelling book.
He has an 894-837 record as a manager, all with the Blue Jays. He led us to 5 first-place finishes and 2 World Series wins. Interestingly, he only had 26 ejections in his managerial career, often to protect his players. He believed he was more valuable on the bench than watching from the clubhouse.
Cito managed by trusting his players. He didn’t emphasize strategic tricks or the bunt, and reportedly didn’t call hit-and-runs in his second Jays stint. He picked players he liked and let them play.
This management approach has its merits.
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Early as a manager, Cito favoured veterans. In his second stint, he relied more on younger players, especially when veterans no longer performed.
Cito liked aggressive, pull-hitting styles. He even convinced John McDonald to commit fully to an all-pull approach. Initially, it led to more home runs, but pitchers soon adapted, resulting in more ground balls.
Cito is number 75 on the all-time win list for MLB managers. And, of course, number one among Jays’ managers.
Turning to another birthday, Scott Downs turns 50 today. He was one of my favourites.
The Cubs drafted Downs in the 3rd round of the 1997 draft. He made it to the majors with the Cubs in 2000, though he was traded to the Twins and back before reaching the majors. Finally, in May of 2000, the Cubs traded him to the Expos for Rondell White. Most of Scott’s time with the Expos was spent recovering from 2 Tommy John surgeries.
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He signed with the Jays before the 2005 season.
In 2005, he had a 4-3 record and a 4.31 ERA in 26 games, making both starts and relief appearances. In 2006, he primarily relieved, going 6-2 with a 4.09 ERA in 59 games.
In 2007, Downs contributed as a reliable reliever, pitching in 81 games primarily as a one-out lefty. He compiled a 4-2 record and a 2.17 ERA. Heavy use did not seem to negatively affect his performance that season.
In 2008, he worked his way into the setup role. Cito used him in every game, whether ahead or behind. He pitched multiple innings several times and had one of the best seasons we’ve seen from a setup man, until he twisted an ankle late in the year. He probably should have rested longer, but Cito kept using him, given his previous reliability.
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In 2009, he shared closing duties with Frasor, posting a 3.09 ERA. In 2010, as a setup man again, he recorded a 2.64 ERA in 67 appearances.
After the 2010 season, he signed with the Angels. From there, he bounced around to the Braves, White Sox, Royals, and Cleveland.
He played 13 seasons, appearing in 619 games (50 starts) with a 3.56 ERA and 27 saves. With the Jays, he had a 3.14 ERA over six seasons and 347 games.
Downs was known as Snakeface. Some listeners on Jays’ Talk noted that he did not appear intimidating on the mound, prompting broadcaster Mike Wilner to jokingly suggest Downs had a snake tattoo to boost his presence.
Next, former Blue Jay great Danny Ainge turns 67 today. He wasn’t great on the baseball diamond, but he cleaned up in team pickup basketball games. After three seasons and a .220/.264/.269 batting line, he left baseball to play for the Boston Celtics, a good move. He was a far better basketball player than a baseball player. He won two NBA Championships as a Celtics player and another as the Executive Director of Basketball Operations.
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Happy Birthday to all three. I hope they each have a great day.
Also, having birthdays:
Raul Chavez turns 53 today. The backup catcher played his last MLB season with the 2009 Blue Jays, hitting .258 with 2 homers.
Scott Brow turns 57. A 1990 7th-round pick, he earned a 1993 World Series ring, made 42 Jays appearances, and had a 5.78 ERA with 2 saves.
Cesar Valdez turns 41 today. He made 7 appearances with a 6.75 ERA for the 2017 Jays, also playing 68 MLB games over four years.
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