No manager in the history of Major League Baseball has been thrown out of more games than Bobby Cox: 158, plus 3 more in postseason play. Which I was surprised to learn: He never seemed all that argumentative to me.
Robert Joe Cox (not "Robert Joseph") was born on May 21, 1941 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and grew up in Selma, California, outside Fresno. Like Mickey Mantle, Allie Reynolds and Bobby Murcer, he was an Oklahoma native who went on to play for the Yankees. Unlike them, however, he would not be a great player. His destiny would be in a different role, for other teams.
He was originally signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers, but before he could reach the major leagues, was traded to the Yankees. He played in 135 games of the 1968 season, making him a teammate of Mantle in the Mick's last season; and 85 games in 1969, playing mostly 3rd base, although he made 6 appearances at 2nd base.
He played and managed in the Winter league in Venezuela, which led the Yankees to let him manage in their farm system, starting in 1971. He won Pennants in the Eastern League with the 1972 West Haven Yankees, and in the International League with the 1976 Syracuse Chiefs. For the 1977 season, the Yankees called him up, and made him their 1st base coach. They won the World Series.
The Atlanta Braves signed him as their manager for 1978, but it didn't work out, and he was fired after the 1981 season. The Toronto Blue Jays signed him for 1982, and they were building something. In 1985, he took them to the American League Eastern Division title, edging the Yankees for it. But he blew a 3-games-to-1 lead in the AL Championship Series, and the Jays were beaten by the Kansas City Royals.
The Braves decided to bring him back, not as field manager, at first, but as general manager. The Jays let him go, and he was still the GM in 1990, when he fired manager Russ Nixon, and made himself the manager. He then hired John Schuerholz as his replacement.
With Cox in the dugout, and Schuerholz in the front office, the Braves then went on one of the most successful runs any MLB team has ever had. They won the National League Western Division title in 1991, '92 and '93. Realignment and the Strike of '94 meant no Division title in 1994 -- MLB doesn't recognize first-place finishes from that season -- but they won the NL Eastern Division title in 1995, '96, '97, '98, '99, 2000, '01, '02, '03, '04 and '05.
In 1991, they won their 1st Pennant since moving to Atlanta in 1966, their 1st Pennant since 1958 in Milwaukee. They lost a thriller of a World Series to the Minnesota Twins. They won another Pennant in 1992, but lost the Series to the Blue Jays. They won another Pennant in 1995, and, this time, won their 1st World Series in Atlanta, their 1st title since 1957 in Milwaukee. They won the Pennant again in 1996 and 1999, but, each time, lost the World Series to the Yankees, managed by the man who'd succeeded Cox the 1st time he'd managed the Braves, Joe Torre.
Cox never won another Pennant. He remained the Braves' manager though the 2010 season, in which he won 1 last NL East title. Overall: 2,504 wins, 2,001 losses, 16 Division titles, and 5 Pennants. But, despite having managed future Hall-of-Famers Phil Niekro, Ted Simmons, Bruce Sutter, John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, Chipper Jones, Fred McGriff, Andruw Jones and Billy Wagner, he only won 1 World Series.
Bobby Cox was married to Pamela, and had 8 children. He is 1 of only 4 managers to be named Manager of the Year in each League. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, and the Braves retired his Number 6.
He died today, May 9, 2026, at the age of 84.
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