Best known for his time as manager of the Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros, Williams had a lengthy career as a coach in both the major and minor leagues.

Williams got his first MLB coaching job with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1980. He was named the teams manager in 1986, replacing Bobby Cox, and would skipper the Blue Jays until 36 games into the 1989 season.

Williams would re-join Cox in Atlanta, becoming the team’s third base coach in 1991 when the Braves went worst-to-first, winning the National League pennant.

Williams would coach with Atlanta through the 1996 season – including the team’s World Series-winning 1995 campaign – before being hired as manager for the Boston Red Sox.

With Boston, Williams would manage four full seasons before

being relieved of duties in 2001. He was named the American League Manager of the Year in 1999 and led the Red Sox to two playoff appearances in 1998 and again in 1999.

He would return to the dugout in 2002 as the manager of the Houston Astros where he would manage until just past the half-way point of the 2004 season.

Williams would return to coaching with the Philadelphia Phillies as the team’s bench coach, being named to the position in 2006, and would win another World Series championship in 2008. He would leave the Phillies after the 2008 season.

Williams, who was born in Santa Matia, CA, had a brief playing career with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1966 and 1967 as an infielder. He collected three career hits in 14 plate appearances.

During his managerial career, Williams had a 910-790-1 record, good for a .535 winning percentage. He won 90-or-more games three times with only one of his full-seasons as manager resulting in a losing record.

Along with this 1999 AL Manager of the Year Award, Williams also finished second in 1998, fourth in 2001 and seventh in 2000.

For Braves fans, Williams will be remembered for his aggressive base-running call of sending Sid Bream to the plate in Game 7 the 1992 NLCS. Bream’s successful slide delivered the Braves the NL pennant and became one of the most legendary moments in the organization’s history.

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – The beard is here to stay. At least through 2031.

On Friday, the Atlanta Braves announced the contract of Alex Anthopoulos, president of baseball operations, has been extended through 2031.

“Alex and I have enjoyed a wonderful working relationship, and I look forward to that continuing for many years to come,” Braves chairman and CEO of Braves Holdings, LLC, Terry McGuirk said. “I have been around this game a very long time and know that Alex’s track record of success is truly something special.

“There is simply no one better in the business. This extension gives Alex the runway to make long-term decisions and the opportunity to continue his track record of assembling teams that are perennial contenders. I have the utmost confidence in his ability to deliver championship baseball for our fans well into the future.”

Anthopoulos joined the Braves at the end of the 2017 season, a little more than a month after an international market scandal had forced the ouster of former baseball operations leaders John Hart and John Coppolella.

The Braves have won the National League East during each of his six seasons in Atlanta. The highlight of this tenure occurred in 2021, when his great work at the Trade Deadline helped the Braves win the World Series without Ronald Acuña Jr., who tore his right anterior cruciate ligament in July.

“I’d like to thank Terry for his continued support and trust,” Anthopoulos said. “The Braves are an incredible organization to be a part of, and I’m proud of the success we’ve achieved together. I am grateful for the opportunity to continue to lead baseball operations and to strive to bring another World Series to Atlanta.”