Steve Boros
Encyclopedia
Stephen Boros Jr. was an American
infielder
, coach
, manager
, advance scout, and farm system official in Major League Baseball
.
A graduate of the University of Michigan
, where he received a bachelor of arts
degree in literature
, Boros managed the Oakland Athletics
(1983–84) and the San Diego Padres
(1986).
A native of Flint, Michigan
, he attended Northern High School and signed a bonus contract with the Detroit Tigers
in 1957. He was named the most valuable player of the Class AAA American Association
in 1960 after he tied for the lead in runs batted in with 119. In his first full major league season, 1961
, Boros appeared in 116 games for the Tigers as a third baseman
and hit
.270 with 62 runs batted in. It was his finest season. In 1962
, he slugged three home run
s in one game on August 6. No other Tigers player accomplished the feat until Bill Freehan
did it in 1971.
Boros was then shipped to the Chicago Cubs
in an offseason trade. After one season in Chicago, he finished his major league playing career with the 1964-65 Cincinnati Reds
. In all or parts of seven seasons, he batted .245 with 26 home runs. He batted and threw right-handed.
Boros continued to play at the AAA level through 1969. His managing career began in the Kansas City Royals
farm system in 1970. He coached on the staff of Whitey Herzog
in Kansas City (1975–79). He also served as a coach with the Montreal Expos
(1981–82), before taking over the Athletics, replacing Billy Martin
. After his managerial career, Boros returned to the coaching ranks with the Royals (1993–94) and Baltimore Orioles
(1995), and was a coordinator of instruction and farm director for several MLB teams, including the Tigers.
His work as an advance scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers
in 1988 resulted in one of the most memorable moments in World Series
history. Boros was part of a scout team that filled out reports that fall on the Athletics, the Dodgers' opponent in the 1988 World Series
. Boros and his colleagues noted that Oakland relief ace
Dennis Eckersley
tended to throw a backdoor slider
on 3-2 counts to left-handed hitters. That was exactly the pitch that pinch-hitter Kirk Gibson
launched off Eckersley for a memorable two-out, bottom-of-the-ninth homer to win Game One of the Series. The Dodgers went on to upset the mighty Athletics in five games.
He retired from baseball in 2004 after serving as a special assistant to Tigers' general manager
David Dombrowski.
Boros died in Deland, Florida
, at the age of 74. He had been ill with multiple myeloma
since 2007.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
infielder
Infielder
An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field.-Standard arrangement of positions:In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles...
, coach
Coach (baseball)
In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, or head coach, who determines the lineup and decides how to substitute players during the game...
, manager
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
, advance scout, and farm system official in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
.
A graduate of the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, where he received a bachelor of arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
, Boros managed the Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
(1983–84) and the San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
(1986).
A native of Flint, Michigan
Flint, Michigan
Flint is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit. The U.S. Census Bureau reports the 2010 population to be placed at 102,434, making Flint the seventh largest city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Genesee County which lies in the...
, he attended Northern High School and signed a bonus contract with the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
in 1957. He was named the most valuable player of the Class AAA American Association
American Association (20th century)
The American Association was a minor league baseball league at the Triple-A level of baseball in the United States from to and to . Together with the International League, it contested the Junior World Series which determined the championship team in minor league baseball, at least for the...
in 1960 after he tied for the lead in runs batted in with 119. In his first full major league season, 1961
1961 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: New York Yankees over Cincinnati Reds ; Whitey Ford, MVP*All-Star Game , July 11 at Candlestick Park: National League, 5-4 *All-Star Game , July 31 at Fenway Park: 1–1 tie...
, Boros appeared in 116 games for the Tigers as a third baseman
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
and hit
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
.270 with 62 runs batted in. It was his finest season. In 1962
1962 in baseball
The 1962 season is perhaps most notable for the dismal 40–120 record of the New York Mets, the third-worst winning percentage and the record for most games lost since 1900.-Major League Baseball:...
, he slugged three home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s in one game on August 6. No other Tigers player accomplished the feat until Bill Freehan
Bill Freehan
William Ashley Freehan is a former professional baseball player. He played his entire Major League Baseball career as a catcher for the Detroit Tigers...
did it in 1971.
Boros was then shipped to the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
in an offseason trade. After one season in Chicago, he finished his major league playing career with the 1964-65 Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
. In all or parts of seven seasons, he batted .245 with 26 home runs. He batted and threw right-handed.
Boros continued to play at the AAA level through 1969. His managing career began in the Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
farm system in 1970. He coached on the staff of Whitey Herzog
Whitey Herzog
Dorrel Norman Elvert "Whitey" Herzog is a former Major League Baseball manager. Born in New Athens, Illinois, he made his debut as a player in 1956 with the Washington Senators. After his playing career ended in 1963, Herzog went on to perform a variety of roles in Major League Baseball, including...
in Kansas City (1975–79). He also served as a coach with the Montreal Expos
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
(1981–82), before taking over the Athletics, replacing Billy Martin
Billy Martin
Alfred Manuel "Billy" Martin, Jr. was an American Major League Baseball second baseman and manager. He is best known as the manager of the New York Yankees, a position he held five different times...
. After his managerial career, Boros returned to the coaching ranks with the Royals (1993–94) and Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
(1995), and was a coordinator of instruction and farm director for several MLB teams, including the Tigers.
His work as an advance scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
in 1988 resulted in one of the most memorable moments in World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
history. Boros was part of a scout team that filled out reports that fall on the Athletics, the Dodgers' opponent in the 1988 World Series
1988 World Series
-Game 1:Saturday, October 15, 1988 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CaliforniaBecause of using ace Orel Hershiser in Game 7 of the NLCS, the Dodgers had to open with rookie Tim Belcher in Game 1. Meanwhile, Oakland sent a well-rested Dave Stewart to the mound. Both pitchers, however, would have...
. Boros and his colleagues noted that Oakland relief ace
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
Dennis Eckersley
Dennis Eckersley
Dennis Lee Eckersley , nicknamed "Eck", is a former American Major League Baseball pitcher. Eckersley had success as a starter, but gained his greatest fame as a closer, becoming the first of only two pitchers in Major League history to have both a 20-win season and a 50-save season in a career .He...
tended to throw a backdoor slider
Slider
In baseball, a slider is a pitch that breaks laterally and down, with a speed between that of a curveball and that of a fastball....
on 3-2 counts to left-handed hitters. That was exactly the pitch that pinch-hitter Kirk Gibson
Kirk Gibson
Kirk Harold Gibson is a former Major League Baseball player and currently the manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks. As a player, Gibson was an outfielder who batted and threw left-handed...
launched off Eckersley for a memorable two-out, bottom-of-the-ninth homer to win Game One of the Series. The Dodgers went on to upset the mighty Athletics in five games.
He retired from baseball in 2004 after serving as a special assistant to Tigers' general manager
General manager (baseball)
In Major League Baseball, the general manager of a team typically controls player transactions and bears the primary responsibility on behalf of the ballclub during contract discussions with players....
David Dombrowski.
Boros died in Deland, Florida
DeLand, Florida
DeLand is the county seat of Volusia County, Florida. In 2006, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's population to be 24,375. It is part of the Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 436,575 in 2006...
, at the age of 74. He had been ill with multiple myeloma
Multiple myeloma
Multiple myeloma , also known as plasma cell myeloma or Kahler's disease , is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell normally responsible for the production of antibodies...
since 2007.