Davey Johnson, manager of ’86 world champion Mets, dies at 82

Davey Johnson, the manager of the 1986 world champion New York Mets, has died. He was 82.

Longtime Mets public relations representative Jay Horwitz said Johnson’s wife, Susan, informed him of his death after a long illness. Johnson was at a hospital in Sarasota, Florida, when he died Friday, Horwitz said.

Johnson was a power-hitting second baseman who played 13 years in the majors, sharing in World Series titles with the Baltimore Orioles in 1966 and 1970 and hitting 43 homers for the Atlanta Braves in 1973 while serving as an offensive wingman for teammate Henry Aaron.

“I just lost a friend, teammate and confidant,” Hall of Famer and former Orioles ace Jim Palmer wrote in a text Saturday morning about his former teammate.

But Johnson’s most significant professional mark was as a manager. Over 17 seasons as a skipper, he led five teams — the Mets, Cincinnati Reds, Orioles, Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals — and at each stop posted winning records. As a manager, he went 1,372-1,071 for a .562 winning percentage, the sixth highest among managers with at least 1,300 wins.

We mourn the passing of Orioles Hall of Fame second baseman Davey Johnson, who earned three All-Star berths with the club and later managed the team to two Postseason appearances. pic.twitter.com/gCa25R0VtH

— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) September 6, 2025

“He believed in his players,” said Darryl Strawberry, the right fielder for the Mets under Johnson, in a conversation Saturday morning. “He believed in us. He was one of us. He believed in every last one of us… He would never throw you under the bus… We all loved him.

“He was the greatest manager I ever played for.”

Former Washington general manager Mike Rizzo said of Johnson, “One of the great baseball minds of all time. A forward thinker with an old-school soul. A dear…