Mike Scioscia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mike Scioscia
Scioscia at the MLB Winter Meetings in 2015
Catcher / Manager
Born: (1958-11-27) November 27, 1958 (age 66) Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Batted: Left Threw: Right
debut
April 20, 1980, for the Los Angeles Dodgers
Last appearance
October 2, 1992, for the Los Angeles Dodgers
MLB statistics
Batting average	.259
Home runs	68
Runs batted in	446
Managerial record	1,650–1,428
Winning %	.536
Teams
As player Los Angeles Dodgers (1980–1992) As manager Anaheim Angels / Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim / Los Angeles Angels (2000–2018) As coach Los Angeles Dodgers (1997–1998)
Career highlights and awards
2× All-Star (1989, 1990) 3× World Series champion (1981, 1988, 2002) 2× AL Manager of the Year (2002, 2009)
Medals Men's baseball Representing the USA Summer Olympics Silver 2020 Tokyo Team

Michael Lorri Scioscia (born November 27, 1958) is a famous American baseball player and manager. People often call him "Sosh" or "El Jefe," which means "The Boss" in Spanish. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers for 13 years. After his playing career, he became a successful manager for the Anaheim / Los Angeles Angels.

Scioscia is known for being the longest-serving manager in MLB for one team. He led the Angels to their only World Series championship in 2002. As a player, he won two World Series with the Dodgers in 1981 and 1988. This makes him one of the few people to win a World Series as both a player and a manager.

Playing Career

Becoming a Dodger

Mike Scioscia was chosen by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first round of the 1976 amateur draft. He made his big league debut with the Dodgers in 1980. He played for them for 12 years. The Dodgers' manager, Tommy Lasorda, really wanted Scioscia to join the team after they drafted him from high school.

Scioscia quickly became very important to the Dodgers. He even learned Spanish to talk better with the amazing young pitcher Fernando Valenzuela in 1981. This helped them work together on the field.

When I made Mike the No. 1 catcher, the writers came to me and said, "Steve Yeager said you made Scioscia the No. 1 catcher because he's Italian." I said, "That's a lie. I made him the No. 1 catcher because I'm Italian."

Scioscia tried to play for the San Diego Padres in 1993 and the Texas Rangers in 1994. However, injuries kept him from playing any regular games for those teams.

A Defensive Star

Scioscia was a catcher, known mostly for his strong defense. He was great at blocking the plate, which means he would stand in front of home plate to stop runners from scoring. One former Dodgers executive called him the best plate-blocking catcher he had ever seen.

In a game in 1985, Scioscia crashed into St. Louis Cardinals' slugger Jack Clark. Scioscia was knocked out but still held onto the ball! He later said his hardest collision was with Chili Davis in 1986.

The one collision that absolutely I got hit harder than anybody else was Chili Davis in 1986 when he was with the Giants. Chili plays hard; he's 6' 3", looks like Apollo Creed, got a nice lean. I saw stars. That was the hardest I've been hit, including my years of playing football. It was a heck of a collision…He was out that time. We were both out.

Scioscia had a special way of blocking the plate. Most catchers hold the ball in their bare hand inside their glove. Scioscia held the ball only in his catcher's mitt. He also knelt on both knees and turned to the side, which he felt made him safer during collisions.

He was known for being very tough. After missing most of the 1983 season due to an injury, he played in over 100 games every year for the rest of his Dodgers career.

Offensive Skills and Big Moments

While Scioscia was known for defense, he was also a good contact hitter. This means he didn't strike out very often. In 1985, he had a great offensive season, hitting for a .296 batting average.

One of his most famous moments was in Game 4 of the 1988 National League Championship Series. He hit a game-tying home run in the ninth inning off star pitcher Dwight Gooden. This home run was very important as the Dodgers went on to win that game and eventually the series.

Scioscia was a key player on the Dodgers' World Series winning teams in 1981 and 1988. He holds the Dodgers' record for most games caught (1,395). In 1990, he became the first Dodgers catcher since Roy Campanella to start in an All-Star Game.

Scioscia was also involved in three no-hitter games. He caught Fernando Valenzuela's no-hitter in 1990 and Kevin Gross's in 1992. He caught 136 shutouts in his career, which is one of the highest totals ever for a catcher. He even used the same catcher's mitt for most of his playing career!

Career Statistics

Managerial Career

Leading the Angels

After his playing days, Scioscia worked as a coach for the Dodgers. In 2000, he was hired to manage the Anaheim Angels. He kept Joe Maddon, who was the interim manager, as his assistant.

Under Scioscia's leadership, the Angels ended a long playoff drought in 2002. They won the AL Wild Card and then went on to win the franchise's first World Series! They beat the San Francisco Giants, who were managed by Scioscia's former Dodgers teammate, Dusty Baker. Winning the World Series as both a player and a manager is a rare achievement.

Scioscia arguing with an umpire in 2005

Scioscia was named the American League Manager of the Year in 2002. He also won this award again in 2009.

The Angels had a lot of success under Scioscia. They won five American League West division titles in six years. In 2002, they set a team record with 99 wins, and then broke it again with 100 wins in 2008. Scioscia is the Angels' all-time leader in wins and games managed.

Scioscia in 2011

On May 8, 2011, Scioscia earned his 1,000th win as a manager. This made him one of only 23 managers to get all 1,000 wins with a single team. He managed the Angels for 19 seasons, leaving after the 2018 season. He finished with a record of 1,650 wins and 1,428 losses.

Managing Team USA

Scioscia at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in 2021

In 2021, Scioscia was chosen to manage the United States national baseball team for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. His team played well and won a silver medal, losing to Japan in the gold-medal game. He was also announced as the manager for the US national team in the 2024 WBSC Premier12 tournament.

Managerial Record

Television and Personal Life

TV Appearances

Mike Scioscia appeared as himself on an episode of The Simpsons called "Homer at the Bat" in 1992. In the cartoon, he was one of several baseball players who worked at a power plant to play on its softball team. Scioscia's character was the only one who took the power plant job seriously! He even ended up in the hospital with "radiation poisoning" in the story.

He later appeared in another Simpsons episode in 2010, where he joked that the radiation poisoning gave him "superhuman managing powers."

They called and asked if I'd be interested in doing it, and it so happened that it was my favorite show. I was excited . . . Every year I get a check for like $4 . . . I cash 'em. I don't want to mess up their accounting department.
— Mike Scioscia, about his appearance on The Simpsons

Family Life

When he was younger, Scioscia went to Penn State University in the off-season to study computer science.

Mike Scioscia is married to Anne, and they have two children. They live in Westlake Village, California. Their son, Matthew, also played baseball for the Notre Dame. He was drafted by the Angels in 2011.

See also

• List of Major League Baseball All-Star Game managers
• List of Major League Baseball players who spent their entire career with one franchise
• List of Major League Baseball managers with most career wins