Cito Gaston
| Birthdate | 03/17/1944 |
| Death Date | |
| Debut Year | 1989 |
| Year of Induction | |
| Teams | Blue Jays |
| Position | Manager |
The 1st African-American to win a World Series, Cito Gaston managed Toronto for 12 years & won 4 AL East titles, 2 pennants, & 2 World Series.
In the collection:
Cito Gaston signed lineup cards as manager of the Blue Jays
Cito Gaston signed lineup cards as manager of the Blue Jays
Does he belong in the Hall of Fame? Cito Gaston managed the Blue Jays from 1989 to 1997, and again from 2008 to 2010. During this time, he managed the Blue Jays to four American League East division titles (1989, 1991, 1992 and 1993), two American League pennants (1992 and 1993) and two World Series titles (1992 and 1993). Of the 23 men who have managed teams to two or more World Series titles, 15 are in the Hall of Fame with Bruce Bochy and Terry Francona well on their way. Gaston is one of only six others on the outside looking into Cooperstown.
In the collection is this game-used lineup card signed by Gaston. In the May 23, 2009 night game, the Jays dropped a 4-3 contest to the hometown Atlanta Braves. Gaston has signed the bottom of the card as Toronto manager. The game featured third baseman Scott Rolen for Toronto, a man many consider a strong SABRmetric candidate for the Hall of Fame.
Reverse of Cito Gaston signed lineup card with ground rules of the Skydome
Reverse of Cito Gaston signed lineup card with ground rules of the Skydome
On the back of Major League Baseball lineup cards are the ground rules in the park where the game is played. This contest was played in Toronto’s Skydome. Accordingly, one of the more memorable rules was, “ball striking any portion offence or screen in back of home plate: In Play.-“, as any of the Toronto faithful could tell you.
