Davey Johnson, former Mets manager of 1986 title team, dies at 82

Davey Johnson, the former major league second baseman and manager who led the 1986 New York Mets to a World Series title, died Friday at a hospital in Sarasota, Florida, his wife, Susan, told longtime Mets public relations official Jay Horwitz. He was 82. The Baltimore Orioles confirmed Johnson’s death on Saturday and did not provide a cause.

Johnson’s baseball career spanned decades and roles. As a player from the mid 1960s through 1978 — including two seasons in Japan with the Yomiuri Giants — he appeared in more than 1,400 major league games with the Baltimore Orioles, Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs. A four time All Star and three time Gold Glove winner, Johnson was a member of the Orioles’ 1966 and 1970 World Series champions. The Orioles’ organization celebrated him as an Orioles Hall of Fame second baseman.

He moved into managing and executive roles after his playing days. Johnson was hired by the Mets organization in 1981 to manage at Double A and was promoted to the major league club in 1984. He guided the Mets through one of the franchise’s most celebrated stretches, winning at least 90 games in each of his first five seasons, capturing two...