Cito Gaston facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cito Gaston
Outfielder / Manager
Born: (1944-03-17) March 17, 1944 (age 81) San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
Batted: Right Threw: Right
debut
September 14, 1967, for the Atlanta Braves
Last appearance
October 1, 1978, for the Pittsburgh Pirates
MLB statistics
Batting average	.256
Home runs	91
Runs batted in	387
Managerial record	894–837
Winning %	.516
Teams
As player Atlanta Braves (1967) San Diego Padres (1969–1974) Atlanta Braves (1975–1978) Pittsburgh Pirates (1978) As manager Toronto Blue Jays (1989–1997, 2008–2010) As coach Toronto Blue Jays (1982–1989, 2000–2001)
Career highlights and awards
All-Star (1970) 2× World Series champion (1992, 1993) Toronto Blue Jays Level of Excellence
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction	2002

Clarence Edwin "Cito" Gaston (born March 17, 1944) is an American former Major League Baseball player, coach, and manager. He played as an outfielder from 1967 to 1978. He is best known for his time with the San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves.

Cito Gaston spent his entire managing career with the Toronto Blue Jays. He made history by becoming the first African-American manager to win a World Series title. He led the Blue Jays to victory twice.

Gaston managed the Toronto Blue Jays from 1989 to 1997. He returned to manage them again from 2008 to 2010. During his time as manager, the Blue Jays won four division titles. These were in 1989, 1991, 1992, and 1993. They also won two American League championships in 1992 and 1993. Most famously, they won the World Series in both 1992 and 1993.

About Cito Gaston's Life

Cito Gaston grew up in San Antonio and Corpus Christi, Texas. His father was a semi-truck driver. Cito wanted to be a truck driver like his dad or a Major League baseball player. He got the nickname 'Cito' from a friend. This friend thought he looked like a famous Mexican wrestler named "Cito."

When he played for the Atlanta Braves, he shared a room with baseball legend Hank Aaron. Gaston said that Aaron taught him "how to be a man." Gaston has been married three times. He and his wife, Lynda, live in Oldsmar, Florida.

Cito Gaston's Playing Career

Playing in the United States

Cito Gaston mostly played as a center fielder. His playing career in Major League Baseball started in 1967 with the Atlanta Braves. The next year, the San Diego Padres chose him in a special draft. He started playing for them in 1969.

His best season was in 1970. He had a great batting average of .318. He also hit 29 home runs and had 93 RBI. Because of his excellent performance, he was chosen for the National League All-Star team. After this amazing year, Gaston's stats were not as high.

Playing in Venezuela

Cito Gaston also played baseball in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League. He played for different teams there. These included the Cardenales de Lara, the Navegantes del Magallanes, and the Tiburones de La Guaira. In Venezuela, he hit 31 home runs and drove in 207 runs.

Cito Gaston's Managerial Career

Cito Gaston is a member of the Toronto Blue Jays' Level of Excellence.

Becoming a Manager

Cito Gaston first joined the Toronto Blue Jays as a hitting coach in 1982. The Blue Jays won their first division title in 1985 with Gaston as their hitting coach. He stayed as the hitting coach until May 1989. At that time, the team was not doing well. The manager, Jimy Williams, was fired.

Gaston was offered the job as manager. He first said no because he liked being the hitting coach. But his players encouraged him to take the job. So, he changed his mind and became the manager.

Under Gaston's leadership, the Blue Jays changed completely. They went from a team that was losing more games than winning to division champions. Toronto's success continued for several years. They won their division again in 1991, 1992, and 1993.

Winning the World Series

As a coach and manager, Gaston was known as a "player's manager." This means he was good at working with his players. He was calm and quiet, which helped during years when the Blue Jays had many talented players. The team also had huge fan support. They moved into the SkyDome stadium, which helped them get even more fans.

The team's financial success allowed them to sign big-name players. These included Jack Morris and Dave Winfield in 1992. For 1993, they added Dave Stewart and Paul Molitor. The Blue Jays also kept their star players like Joe Carter and Roberto Alomar. Joe Carter said that Gaston was key to their championships. He said Gaston knew how to work with everyone.

Gaston was good at talking to his players. He was also a smart game strategist. He handled the rules of the National League well during World Series games. In the 1992 World Series, the Blue Jays won in Atlanta. This was the first time a team not from the United States won the World Series. Cito Gaston also became the first African-American manager to win a World Series.

The Blue Jays won again in the 1993 World Series. This was amazing because they had lost many key players after their 1992 win.

All-Star Manager

Because he managed the American League champions, Gaston managed the American League team in the 1993 and 1994 All-Star Games. He was criticized for picking six Blue Jays players for the 1993 team. But he said they were all World Champions and two would become Hall of Famers. He was right, as Roberto Alomar and Paul Molitor later entered the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

In the 1993 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, some fans were upset. They felt that Gaston did not play Orioles pitcher Mike Mussina. Gaston chose to let Blue Jays pitcher Duane Ward finish the game.

After the World Series Wins

After the championship years, the Blue Jays and Gaston faced challenges. Many of the winning players got older or asked for higher salaries. The team's new owner also did not increase the budget much. Attendance at games started to drop.

In 1997, Gaston was fired by the team's general manager, Gord Ash. Joe Carter wore Gaston's jersey number (43) for the rest of the season. This was to honor Gaston and show his disappointment about the firing. Gaston's record as manager in his first time with the Blue Jays was 683 wins and 636 losses.

Gaston later had chances to manage other teams. He also had offers to be a hitting instructor again. But he decided to wait for the right opportunity.

Cito Gaston's name is honored by the Toronto Blue Jays in Rogers Centre.

Return to Managing

On June 20, 2008, Gaston was hired again as the manager of the Blue Jays. This was 11 years after he was first fired. The team was not doing well when he took over. But under Gaston, they improved their record for the rest of the season. In September 2008, Gaston signed a contract to stay as manager until 2010. He announced he would retire after the 2010 season.

The 2009 season started well for the Blue Jays. They were in first place in their division. But then they started losing games. By the All-Star break, they had a losing record. There were some reports of disagreements between Gaston and some players or coaches. Players like Lyle Overbay wanted more communication from Gaston. Gaston said he was surprised by the criticism.

In 2010, the team played a bit better. Gaston retired after the 2010 season.

Cito Gaston's Managerial Record

Awards and Honors

"Thank You Cito Night" on September 29, 2010, in Toronto

• In 1970, Gaston was chosen for the 1970 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
• Also in 1970, he won the San Diego Padres team MVP award.
• In 1989, Gaston was named "Baseball Man of the Year" in Canada.
• In 1993, he was voted "Sportsman of the Year."
• He managed the American League team in the 1993 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
• He also managed the American League team in the 1994 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
• The University of Toronto gave Gaston an honorary degree in 1994.
• In 1999, Gaston's Blue Jays uniform number (#43) was honored. It was added to the Blue Jays "Level of Excellence" at the Rogers Centre.
• In 2002, Gaston was elected into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.
• Gaston was inducted into the San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.
• In 2008, he received a Negro League Hall of Fame Legacy Award.
• In 2011, Gaston was inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame.
• In 2023, Gaston was considered for the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Images for kids

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  Cito Gaston's name is honored by the Toronto Blue Jays in Rogers Centre.

See also

In Spanish: Clarence Gaston para niños