Arizona Diamondbacks has taken the world by storm and so has their manager Torey Lovullo. But not many know about his story, nor do people know what pushes this man to improve his team. Thus, with the emergence of the Diamondbacks, it is time to put some light on their manager.
Torey Lovullo once played for the New York Yankees and then coached their greatest rival, the Boston Red Sox. And do you know he already has a World Series under his belt? That’s just the beginning of his great story.
Torey Lovullo’s foray into coaching
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Lovullo’s playing career was nothing extraordinary. Though a talented hitter, he spent his career just changing teams. He played for teams like the New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, and Seattle Mariners. But success seems to have eluded him.
Then post-retirement, he decided to try his hands on coaching. He began in minor leagues and gradually worked on his craft. It was there that he first got recognized for his managerial work. He won Manager of the Year awards in the Carolina League and Eastern League, then got named Double-A Manager of the Year by Baseball America.
Torey Lovullo is a MANAGER guys want to play for pic.twitter.com/rdTRj9qXvt
? Barstool Baseball (@StoolBaseball) October 5, 2023
And then he came to the Major League. He started with Toronto Blue Jays but true success came to him when he went to Fenway Park. As the bench coach for the Boston Red Sox, his impact was quick. In his first year as a coach, he ended up winning the World Series with the Sox, the title that eluded him as a player was his as a coach.
In 2015 Lovullo got his first chance to manage the team after he was named the interim manager of the Red Sox. Under him, the team once had a win percentage of .636.? This was the moment that proved his readiness for the major league. It was only a matter of time before someone came to sign him as a manager. Thus, came the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Lovullo’s time with the Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona Diamondbacks were in a bad spot when Lovullo took over. They were in a meandering bottom finishing zone. So again just like it happened with the Red Sox, Lovullo’s term started with a bang. In their first season together he guided the team to the postseason and won 24 more games than the previous season. That year he was named National Leagues Manager of the Year.
The following seasons, however, were less exciting. The team failed to qualify for the postseason for 5 seasons. The nadir came in 2021 when they lost 110 games. In his own words, it was a dark time for him. Although the team was rebuilding itself a season like this was difficult to comprehend. Yet he marched on.
Favorite shot of the night: Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo & VP/Communications Casey Wilcox
Impossible to find two classier people more deserving of this moment
Congrats to them and all our friends at the @Dbacks pic.twitter.com/Lg2HwVcgLM
? Mark Dalton (@CardsMarkD) October 25, 2023
Two years after the nadir, the Arizona Diamondbacks and Torey were ready to witness the zenith. The team’s love for their manager is second to none. They love to play for their manager. So, with enough belief, the team decided to rewrite its destiny. And so 10 years after winning the World Series in 2013 as a Coach, Torey Lovullo has returned to do it again, only this time as a Manager.
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Torey’s life outside Baseball
Outside Baseball Torey has 3 kids. One daughter and two sons. He’s married to Kristen Burwell, who is his second wife.? His son Nick Lovullo played as a baseball player and has now followed his father’s footsteps by embarking on his own managerial journey within the Chicago Cubs system.
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And that is Torey Lovullo. The Skipper of D-Backs, creator of the miracle squad. An Underdog manager of an underdog team. The story just writes itself, doesn’t it?
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