Gibbons proves Jays fans love winners

Fired and hired again, baseball lifer got to rewrite his story as team made playoff memories

- GREGOR CHISHOLM

There’s an argument to be made that few sports figures have been able to change how they are perceived in this city more than John Gibbons.

When Gibbons was first hired as manager of the Blue Jays in 2004, he was viewed as little more than a lackey for his former roommate and then general manager J.P. Ricciardi. In the years that followed, his club’s continued failures did little to change that perception before he was fired in 2008.

Gibbons returned less than five years later, this time under GM Alex Anthopoulos. It was a shocking hire that few saw coming and led to criticism even from some of the club’s most loyal supporters. When a beefed-up Jays roster then fell flat on its face during that ensuing season, the complaints only grew.

In 2015, everything changed. Anthopoulos went on an epic spending spree at the trade deadline and the Jays caught fire. They won an American League East title, José Bautista capped a first-round series victory with an epic bat flip and the Jays pushed the Kansas City Royals to six games before bowing out in the AL Championship Series. The boos turned to cheers. Gibbons guided his team back to the ALCS in 2016 and remained with the club through 2018. By the time he left, Gibbons had become a fan favourite and ranked second in franchise history in managerial wins.