Tony Pena

From BR Bullpen

Note: This page links to Tony Pena, the All-Star catcher and manager. For his son, a shortstop who made his big league debut in 2006, click here. Or for the unrelated relief pitcher Tony Pena who also made his debut in 2006, click here.

Penatony.jpg

Antonio Francisco Pena Padilla

  • Bats Right, Throws Right
  • Height 6' 0", Weight 181 lb.

BR page

Biographical Information[edit]

Tony Pena was known for his unique style of catching. He would sit on the ground with one knee tucked to the side while his other leg was straight out to the other side. He could even throw out would-be base stealers from this position with an incredibly strong arm. He ended his career with 1,950 games behind the plate, fourth most of all catchers.

After his career ended, he joined the Chicago White Sox and Houston Astros as a minor league manager, guiding the 1998 AZL White Sox and the 1999-2001 New Orleans Zephyrs. After spending a little more than a month as Astros bench coach, he became manager of the Kansas City Royals in May 2002. He was widely praised for leading the Royals to a rare winning season in 2003, winning the American League Manager of the Year Award, but the club sunk back into mediocrity in 2004. He left the Royals in frustration early in 2005, leaving the team scrambling to find a replacement, and joined the New York Yankees as a coach in 2006. He was one of three men on the short list to replace Joe Torre as Yankees manager after the 2007 season, along with Don Mattingly and Joe Girardi, but the job went to Girardi and Pena returned to coaching, staying for the duration of Girardi's tenure, until the end of the 2017 season.

Pena's son Tony reached the majors in 2006 with the Atlanta Braves and became the Royals' starting shortstop in 2007. Another son, Francisco Peña, a catcher like Tony, reached the big leagues in 2014. Pena's brother Ramon Pena also played briefly for the Detroit Tigers in 1989. His nephew Rudy Pena reached AA.

He was elected to the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame as part of its 2012 class. He managed the Dominican national team to a perfect record in the 2013 World Baseball Classic, after the team failed to make it out of the first round in 2009; it was the first non-Japanese team to win a World Baseball Classic. He was elected to the Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016; he had hit .270/?/.374 in 38 Caribbean Series games, winning two Caribbean Series titles in eight Series.

Berman Nickname[edit]

Tony "Jala" Pena

Notable Achievements[edit]


Preceded by
John Mizerock
Kansas City Royals Manager
2002-2005
Succeeded by
Bob Schaefer

Year-By-Year Managerial Record[edit]

Year Team League Record Finish Organization Playoffs Notes
1998 AZL White Sox Arizona League 20-34 8th Chicago White Sox none
1999 New Orleans Zephyrs International League 55-96 16th Houston Astros
2000 New Orleans Zephyrs International League 68-74 10th Houston Astros
2001 New Orleans Zephyrs International League 82-57 2nd Houston Astros League Co-Champs
2002 Kansas City Royals American League 49-77 4th Kansas City Royals replaced John Mizerock (5-8) on May 15
2003 Kansas City Royals American League 83-79 3rd Kansas City Royals
2004 Kansas City Royals American League 58-104 5th Kansas City Royals
2005 Kansas City Royals American League 8-25 -- Kansas City Royals replaced by Bob Schaefer on May 11

Related Sites[edit]