| Jerry Narron, the Red Sox new bench coach in 2003, has over five full years experience as a major league player plus 14 years as a minor and major league coach and manager. This is his 28th year in professional baseball.
Narron was the 15th full-time manager of the Texas Rangers in 2001-02 before coming to Boston. Prior to 2001 he was the Rangers third base coach for manager Johnny Oates from 1995 to May 4, 2001 when he was named to succeed Oates. During that time the Rangers won the A.L. West title in 1996-98-99.
Jerry spent 1993 (dugout coach) and 1994 (third base coach) with Oates in Baltimore and also managed in the Orioles system from 1989-92 with a 291-269 record at AAA Rochester (Int. Lg.) in 1992, AA Hagerstown (Eastern Lg.) 1990-91 and A Frederick (Carolina Lg.) 1989.
He was selected as a catcher by the New York Yankees in the sixth round of the 1974 June free agent draft. Jerry made his big league debut in 1979, singled off the Orioles Jim Palmer for his first hit and hit his first major league home run off the Red Sox Dennis Eckersley in Yankee Stadium on July 1. He was New York's starting catcher Aug. 3, 1979 vs. the Orioles, the day after Thurman Munson was killed in a plane crash. In 392 M.L. games over eight seasons Jerry hit .211 for the Yankees (1979), Seattle (1980-81, '87) and California (1983-86). His only post-season action was when he played in four games in the 1986 ALCS vs. the Red Sox. In Game 4 he singled in the bottom of the 11th and later scored the winning run. He ended his playing career after the 1988 season.
Narron played baseball, basketball and football at Goldsboro (NC) H.S. and was all-state in baseball. He attended East Carolina U. His brother, John Jr., was a first baseman in the Yankees and White Sox systems (1974-75), his uncle, Sam, was a catcher with the St. Louis Cardinals (1935, '42-'43) and a coach with Pittsburgh (1951-64) and another uncle, Milton, was a minor league outfielder-catcher. |
