The San Diego Padres hired Larry Bowa to manage their team in 1987, just over one year after he retired from the game. The young manager brought fire to the Padres’ coaching staff, but Bowa and San Diego were not a match made in heaven. 

There are personalities in the game of baseball who are notorious.

When you think of Larry Bowa, you think of a man who never pulled a punch on the field as a player or a manager. He played the game all out and managed the game with his heart and soul. He said what was on his mind, and if you didn’t like it, too bad.

Larry Bowa fought hard for every ounce of respect he earned in the game of baseball.

The former major leaguer with more than 2,100 career hits tried out but failed to make his high school baseball team. Bowa went on to junior college in Sacramento and expected to be drafted in the MLB Draft. He was not. Instead, Bowa signed for very little with the only team that showed interest- the Philadelphia Phillies.

It is because of this that Bowa had no patience with prima donna players who were given everything along the way. He expected each player to show the amazing work ethic he possessed. If they did not, they would experience the wrath of Larry Bowa. It was a sight to see.

Bowa played 12 seasons with the Phillies, collecting two Gold Gloves and playing in five MLB All-Star games for the franchise. Larry Bowa’s career ended in 1985 as a member of the Cubs and Mets. Upon finishing his playing career, the infielder signed with the San Diego Padres to manage their Triple-A team in Las Vegas.

In that 1986 season, Bowa guided the Las Vegas Stars to an 80-62 record, winning the Pacific Coast League Championship. That was enough for the Padres, who signed Bowa to manage the major league team just a little over one year after he retired from the game. The new manager may have been a rookie at the helm, but he knew the entire league like it was the back of his hand.

Larry Bowa worked hard. That was his forte. He expected young players to do the same. In Triple-A, he may have been able to motivate players still searching for major league service time, but at the highest level, the brash manager had difficulties motivating his entire roster.

The 1987 season opened with flair for the Padres at home, as Marvell Wynne, Tony Gwynn, and John Kruk went back-to-back to start the team’s home opener on April 13.

It all seemed to go downhill from there for the Padres as they failed to play with any consistency.

The 1987 San Diego Padres team possessed several players who were very young. Tony Gwynn, Marvell Wynne, and Randy Ready were 27 years old, Carmelo Martinez and John Kruk were 26, Stan Jefferson was 24, and Keven Mitchell was 25. Then there was 22-year-old rookie phenom Benito Santiago behind the plate. The eldest starting position player that year was Garry Templeton at the age of 31. Steve Garvey (38) began the year with the team, but injuries forced him into retirement.

Joey Cora (22), Shane Mack (23), and Shawn Abner (21) also debuted that year for the team on the offensive side. Bowa had his hands full. The tail end of the starting staff was also young, as the Padres used Jimmy Jones (23), Mark Grant (23), and Eric Nolte (23) to start almost 50 games on the season. The bullpen also saw Lance McCullers (23) throw 123 innings all out of the bullpen for San Diego. The Padres envisioned Bowa could teach his way to this new group, but San Diego never gave it time.

There were constant blowups and tirades at his team. Bowa’s old school style of managing was to yell and scream at his team to motivate them. He could not stand mental errors and demanded nothing but perfection from his players. For a young roster, Bowa ruled with an iron fist.

John Kruk would refer to Bowa’s tirades in the clubhouse that year as “psycho blowups.” Kruk quoted this in the media to make light of the situation. The left-handed hitter played the game at a different level than Bowa. He was never one to be high-strung. The laidback attitude from the younger players drove Bowa crazy.

The 1987 team went 65-97 but showed some promise in the second half of the season. The franchise entered 1988 with optimism, but the Padres started the year 16-30, and Bowa was let go. He amassed an overall record of 81-127 as the Padres manager.

The Padres’ star player, Tony Gwynn, held Bowa in high regard. He enjoyed playing for the manager.

Gwynn was first in the door and last to leave, so it makes sense that Larry Bowa had nothing but glowing remarks to say about Tony Gwynn. For the Padres’ star, he enjoyed the little things in the game and understood where the coach was coming from. The two were baseball lifers. That bond is recognized right away and shared. “This is unbelievable. I know what you do. Obviously, they ran out of patience because we’re young.” Tony Gwynn said about the firing of Bowa.

Bowa loved Gwynn for his unselfish play. Even though Gwynn was a star player, he wasn’t above criticism or laying down a sac bunt when the time was needed. That is the kind of player Bowa craved. A student of the game with a necessity to learn.

“It meant the world to me because of what we were trying to sell there,” Bowa said about Gwynn. “We had a young team, and when you have a great player in the locker room saying, ‘I like what Bowa does, I have no problem playing hard every day …’ For him to send that message to young kids made my job so much easier.”

Whenever Larry Bowa would have his outbursts in the locker room, Gwynn was there to bridge the gap between the players and the coach. He calmed the young team by simply allowing them to know that the manager does make valid points. Bowa may have been aggressive in his way to motivate, but it never came from an incorrect angle. Gwynn tried to help his team understand that, though several players needed a constant reminder. That’s what made Tony Gwynn special.

Two years removed from a World Series showing, the Padres’ brass wanted instant results. “I knew last year (1987) when Feeney came in, I wasn’t going to be here long,” Bowa said in interviews. “I think that when Chub Feeney took over in 1987, he wanted to make a change. But he prolonged it. I guess he thought now was the right time.” The manager did not get along with the front office. He felt they should leave the play on the field to the experienced coaches.

The team failed to allow Larry Bowa to distill his style of play to his new franchise. “I don’t think I was given a fair opportunity to turn around a team in a year and 40 games,” said Bowa about his dismissal. The Padres never found semblance in that era. Perhaps allowing Bowa to work with the youth may have produced results. It is difficult to say.

A member of the Phillies’ 1980 World Series champion, Bowa batted .375 in the World Series, going 9-for-24. He also participated in five National League Championships. He owns the NL record for most games at shortstop with 2,222. Larry Bowa was a lifetime .260 hitter, collecting 2,191 hits and stealing 318 bases. The man is a legend in the game for producing this as a “walk-on” his entire baseball career.

He could have done wonders for the young Padres franchise.

James Clark

James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. James has written about the Padres and their prospects for over a decade. He also writes about San Diego State as well as other local sports. James is the Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.