"Robert “Bobby” Joe Cox passed away on Saturday (May 9) at the age of 84. While the Hall of Fame manager is widely recognized for his incredible run with the Atlanta Braves in the 1990s through the 2000s, he was also the first bench boss to take the Toronto Blue Jays to the postseason. Cox managed Toronto from 1982-1985, taking them from a budding expansion franchise to a legitimate championship threat."
"No other Blue Jays' manager in team history has won as many games in a single season as Cox did when he got the Blue Jays to a 99-62 record during that magical '85 season, which culminated in Toronto's first AL East division title. Cox would shockingly leave the Blue Jays after that season and eventually rejoin the Braves in 1990, whom he had managed previously from 1978-1981."
"With the Braves, Cox immediately had an impact. From 1991 until 2010 the Braves made the playoffs 15 times (not counting 1994), winning their division 14 years in a row, with the Braves winning it all in 1995. But it's one of the greatest “What If's?” in not just Toronto sports history, but baseball history in general. What if Bobby Cox never left the Toronto Blue Jays?"
"If Cox stuck with the Blue Jays beyond 1985, would the Blue Jays have been champions before 1992? After Cox, Jimmy Williams took over for the next four seasons and had a record of 281-241. While they had some good seasons, they also had some years where they arguably finished under their expectations. They also had a significant, franchise altering collapse down the stretch of the '87 season in which they led the Detroit Tigers by three games for the AL East going into the last week of the season, before losing seven straight and missing the playoffs."
Robert “Bobby” Joe Cox died at age 84 on May 9. He was known for managing the Atlanta Braves during the 1990s and 2000s and for being the first manager to take the Toronto Blue Jays to the postseason. Cox managed Toronto from 1982 to 1985, transforming an expansion team into a championship threat. In 1985, he led the Blue Jays to a 99–62 record, their first AL East division title. After leaving Toronto, he returned to the Braves in 1990 and helped drive long-term playoff success, including a division streak and a championship in 1995. The question remains how Toronto’s history might have changed if Cox had stayed beyond 1985.
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