Jeff Torborg dies at 83, leaves lasting legacy as Dodgers World Series champion, White Sox and Mets Manager, Yankees coach

Former MLB manager Jeff Torborg died on Sunday morning in Westfield, New Jersey. He was battling Parkinson's disease in the final years of his life and passed away at the age of 83.

Torborg had a 10-year major league career with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the California Angels and was part of some historic moments in the game. He later served as the manager for the Chicago White Sox and the New York Mets, among other teams, in a coaching career spanning nearly two decades.

Jeff Torborg joined the Los Angeles Dodgers minor league system in 1963 before being added to their roster as a backup catcher the following year. He was their catcher for Dodgers icon Sandy Koufax's perfect game on Sept. 9, 1965, and he went on to clinch the World Series with the team that year. A few years later, he also caught Bill Singer's no-hitter on July 20, 1970.

The following year, Torborg was traded to the California Angels. On May 15, 1973, he held the glove behind home plate for the first of Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan's seven no-hitters. Torborg was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals at the end of the year, but he never played in the majors again as they released him before the start of the following season.

In 1977, Jeff Torborg joined the Cleveland Indians as a bullpen coach before he was named the manager of the team when they had fired Frank Robinson. After spending three years in the role, he was part of the New York Yankees coaching staff from 1979 to 1988.

Torborg left New York to become the manager of the Chicago White Sox in 1989. The next year, they finished with a 94-68 record, a 25-game improvement from the previous season, earning him the American League Manager of the Year award.

Torborg also served as the manager for the New York Mets (1992-93), the Montreal Expos (2001) and the Florida Marlins (2002-03).

White Sox legend Ozzie Guillen pays tribute to Jeff Torborg

Jeff Torborg won AL Manager of the Year with the White Sox in 1990 (Image Source: Getty)

Chicago White Sox icon Ozzie Guillen paid a heartfelt tribute to Jeff Torborg on social media. Guillen spent 13 years with the White Sox and was a key part of their 1990 team under Torborg. He had also managed the team successfully to their historic World Series triumph in 2005.

"I am heartbroken," Gillen wrote. "My mentor and my friend has passed away. someone who truly understood me and gave me a chance to lead, to be a captain. So much of my way of managing and being in a clubhouse came from him. To his entire family, my deepest sympathy. Jeff, I will miss you."

Born in Plainfield, New Jersey, Jeff Torborg had attended Rutgers University as a youth and was part of their Scarlet Knights baseball team. He was named an All-American in 1963 and had a then-record .537 batting average, which has been surpassed by only two college players since then.