Mike Jorgensen

Michael Jorgensen

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 0", Weight 195 lb.
• School St. John's University
• High School Francis Lewis High School
• Debut September 10, 1968
• Final Game October 6, 1985
• Born August 16, 1948 in Passaic, NJ USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Gold Glover Mike Jorgensen is the only major league baseball player born on the date of Babe Ruth's death, (August 16, 1948).

Jorgensen made his major-league debut on September 10, 1968, with the New York Mets. On April 5, 1972, he was traded to the Montréal Expos along with Ken Singleton and Tim Foli in return for Rusty Staub. He missed some playing time during the 1972 season with the Montréal Expos while he was performing his military service duties with a National Guard unit.

Jorgensen had a career year in 1974 with the Expos, hitting .310 with 11 homers and 59 RBIs in only 287 at-bats. His on-base percentage of .444 would have been tops in the majors if he had enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title. Jorgensen became redundant in Montreal when the Expos acquired Tony Perez in the 1976-77 offseason. Montreal traded him to Oakland in return for reliever Stan Bahnsen in May 1977.

Jorgensen retired after the 1985 season. He finished his 17-year career with a .243 batting average, 95 homers, and 426 RBIs, most of which were hit while with the Expos.

Jorgensen served as interim manager for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1995, following the dismissal of Joe Torre. He finished the season 42-54 and returned to his duties as farm director in 1996.

• 1992-2001 Farm Director St. Louis Cardinals
• 2008 Special Assistant to the GM, St. Louis Cardinals
• 2011 Pro scout St. Louis Cardinals

Notable Achievements

• NL Gold Glove Winner (1973)

Preceded by Joe Torre

St. Louis Cardinals Manager 1995

Succeeded by Tony LaRussa

Year-By-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs	Notes
1986	St. Petersburg Cardinals	Florida State League	36-24	1st	St. Louis Cardinals	League Champs	replaced Marty Mason (2-0) on June 30
1987	Louisville Redbirds	American Association	78-62	2nd	St. Louis Cardinals	Lost in 1st round
1988	Louisville Redbirds	American Association	63-79	4th	St. Louis Cardinals
1989	Louisville Redbirds	American Association	71-74	4th	St. Louis Cardinals
1995	St. Louis Cardinals	National League	42-54	4th	St. Louis Cardinals		replaced Joe Torre (20-27) on June 16

Further Reading

• Gary Belleville: "October 1, 1974: Expos’ Mike Jorgensen dashes Cardinals’ pennant hopes with dramatic homer," SABR Baseball Games Project.

Related Sites

• BR Manager page