Pittsburgh Pirates' organization In 1966, Morgan became a manager in the
farm system of the
Pittsburgh Pirates, rising in 1970 to
Triple-A with the
Columbus Jets of the International League. In 1971, he moved with the Jets to
Charleston, West Virginia, and became skipper of the
Charleston Charlies. Morgan was called to the Major Leagues to serve as a Pittsburgh coach under
Bill Virdon in , when the Pirates won the
National League East Division title but fell in the
1972 NLCS to the
Cincinnati Reds. Morgan then returned to the minors as the Pirates' Triple-A manager. In 1973, his Charlies won 85 games and the division title, but lost in the International League playoffs to the
Pawtucket Red Sox in five games. Nevertheless, Morgan was selected Minor League Manager of the Year for 1973 by
The Sporting News.
Pawtucket Red Sox Morgan joined the
Boston Red Sox organization the following season. He led the
PawSox—located 24 miles (38 km) from his Walpole hometown—for nine years (1974–82), the longest-tenured manager in the franchise's history. Morgan won 601 games, losing 658 (.477) and was the Pawtucket skipper during its
famous 33-inning game against
Rochester in , though he was ejected in the 22nd. He won the
International League Manager of the Year Award in 1977.
Boston Red Sox The parent Red Sox reassigned Morgan after the 1982 season, making him a scout for 1983–84 before he was finally invited to return to the Majors as Boston's first-base coach in . He worked as the team's
bullpen coach during the Red Sox' pennant-winning season, then replaced
Rene Lachemann as Boston's third-base coach in . In , a Boston team was at one game over .500 under manager
John McNamara, leading the ownership to fire him during the
All-Star break. They named Morgan acting manager July 14 and began negotiations with high-profile candidates, such as
Joe Torre and
Lou Piniella, who were under contract to other organizations. The Red Sox won their first 12 games under Morgan – a period dubbed by the press as
Morgan Magic – and the team named him as their permanent field boss. The
1988 Red Sox won the
AL East, but were swept by the
Oakland Athletics in the
American League Championship Series; two years later, the
1990 Sox repeated history, winning their division but bowing in four straight to the A's in the
playoffs. Collectively, the Red Sox were 0–8 in the postseason under Morgan, an American League record. In , Morgan guided a
Boston team to a second-place finish in the AL East. The team had difficulties in June and July before maneuvering their way back in early September; as late as the 21st, they were just a half game behind Toronto in the East. However, they lost 11 of their last 14 games and finished seven games behind Toronto. Although he had one year remaining on his contract, he was fired at season's end in favor of
Butch Hobson. Under Hobson, the
1992 Red Sox finished last in the AL East. Morgan's final big league managerial totals: 301–262 (.535) over years, all with the Red Sox. His record as a minor league manager over 16 seasons (1966–71; 1973–82) was 1,140 victories and 1,102 defeats (.508) with one league championship (with the
York Pirates of the
Double-A Eastern League in 1969).
Managerial record ==Popularity==