Torey Lovullo
Salvatore Anthony Lovullo
- Bats Both, Throws Right
- Height 6' 0", Weight 180 lb.
- School University of California, Los Angeles
- High School Montclair College Preparatory School
- Debut September 10, 1988
- Final Game October 3, 1999
- Born July 25, 1965 in Santa Monica, CA USA
Biographical Information[edit]
In 2011, Torey Lovullo became the first base coach of the Toronto Blue Jays, after a 9-year career as a minor league manager. His last stop in the minors before joining the Jays was as manager of the Boston Red Sox's AAA farm team, the Pawtucket Red Sox; there he met John Farrell, the parent team's pitching coach, who offered him a job with the Jays when he was named the team's new manager. After the 2012 season, he followed Farrell back to Boston when John became the Red Sox's new skipper; Torey joined him as the team's new bench coach for 2013.
On August 14, 2015, Lovullo took over as manager of the Red Sox on an interim basis when John Farrell announced he needed to take a leave of absence to undergo treatment for cancer. The Red Sox were floundering in last place in the AL East at the time. They played much better under Lovullo's direction, going 28-20 the final month and half, but still finished in last place. Farrell's treatment went well, and he returned to his old job in 2016, but the success they had had playing under Lovullo continued as they went on to win a division title.
On November 4, 2016, he was named manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks for 2017, succeeding Chip Hale. This followed shortly on the heels of Arizona hiring Boston GM Mike Hazen to be their GM and the choice of Lovullo did not come as a surprise to anyone. He had an excellent first season with the club, leading the D-Backs to the postseason as the first National League Wild Card team. They then won the Wild Card Game against the Colorado Rockies before being swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Division Series. He was named the NL Manager of the Year as a result of that excellent performance that exceeded all expectations.
On April 8, 2018, he celebrated his 100th win as a manager, even though he had been ejected from that day's game against the St. Louis Cardinals as part of a strange sequence of events. Things started when A.J. Pollock was displeased with a third-strike call, and Lovullo came out to protect his player from a possible ejection. However, in speaking with home plate umpire Tim Timmons, he used words that somehow triggered a strong reaction by Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, who tried to start a fight with him, prompting a bench-clearing incident. Lovullo was tossed out for arguing balls and strikes, something a manager is not allowed to do, but Molina was allowed to continue, as recordings clearly indicated that Lovullo had used some pretty offensive language in complaining about the veteran catcher's pitch-framing prowess. A day later he explained that he had no beef with Molina and had meant to compliment his ability while taking Timmons to task for having been overly influenced by the catcher, although he recognized his choice of wording had been poor. Both he and Molina were handed a one-game suspension as a result of the incident. While the D-Backs faded after a strong start and eventually failed to make the postseason, Lovullo's work was appreciated by the front office, as in January 2019, he was offered a contract extension.
Lovullo finally managed to take the D-backs to the postseason again in 2023, as a wild card, in what was a major upset as nary anyone would have predicted that outcome before the season. However, Arizona took advantage of the San Diego Padres underperforming significantly to sneak into the postseason with the last of six available berths, then won its first five games to dispose of the Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers and head to the NLCS against the Philadelphia Phillies. There, Lovullo was matched against an old friend as the manager in the opposite dugout was Rob Thomson, who had been his teammate with the Lakeland Tigers in the Florida State League in 1987. The D-Backs came out on top and made it to the World Series for only the second time in franchise history. The Cinderella story ended there as they lost in five games to the Texas Rangers, whose own course through the postseason had been unexpected. Still, it was a highly successful season.
Lovullo and Diamondbacks GM Hazen share a deep bond that goes back to when they were both members of the Red Sox organization. Hazen hired Lovullo as his manager when he moved to Arizona and stuck with him through the lean years refusing to blame his manager for the team's reconstruction coming with its share of difficult stretches. In return, he and his wife Kristina were at Hazen's side when he had to take a leave of absence when his wife Nicole fell victim to a brain tumor which took her life. Torey and Kristina helped Hazen to take care of their four young sons, the oldest of which was only 16, through the bleak times that followed.
His son Nick Lovullo was drafted by the Red Sox in the 20th round of the 2016 amateur draft. He never reached the majors, but became a minor league manager.
Notable Achievements[edit]
- NL Manager of the Year Award (2017)
- Postseason Appearances: 2 (2017 & 2023 - Wild Card)
- NL Pennant: 1 (2023)
| Preceded by John Farrell |
Boston Red Sox Manager 2015 |
Succeeded by John Farrell |
| Preceded by Chip Hale |
Arizona Diamondbacks Manager 2017- |
Succeeded by current |
Year-by-Year Managerial Record[edit]
Further Reading[edit]
- David Adler, Matt Kelly and Andrew Simon: "DYK: Molitor, Lovullo enjoy turnaround years: Postseason skippers voted Manager of the Year Award winners", mlb.com, November 14, 2017. [1]
- Barry M. Bloom: "Lovullo enjoys MOY honor with heavy heart: 'He's very proud of me,' D-backs manager says of father, Sam, who died in January", mlb.com, November 14, 2017. [2]
- Anthony Castrovince: "Lovullo embodies D-backs' confidence in face of doubters", mlb.com, October 27, 2023. [3]
- Anthony Castrovince: "D-backs GM and his front office share a bond beyond baseball", mlb.com, April 4, 2024. [4]
- Anthony DiComo: "They were teammates 36 years ago. Now they’re NLCS foes: Nearly 40 years after playing together at Class A Lakeland, managers face off on NLCS stage", mlb.com, October 15, 2023. [5]
- Steve Gilbert: "D-backs hire Lovullo as new manager", mlb.com, November 4, 2016. [6]
- Steve Gilbert: "D-backs introduce Lovullo as new manager", mlb.com, November 7, 2016. [7]
- Nick Piecoro: "Diamondbacks hire Torey Lovullo as manager", USA Today Sports, November 5, 2016. [8]
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