Norm Sherry (1931-2021) Baseball Player, Manager and Coach

Norm Sherry (1931-2021) Baseball Player, Manager and Coach
Norm Sherry
Birth 6 Jul 1931
New York, New York County (Manhattan), New York, USA
Death 8 Mar 2021 (aged 89)
San Clemente, Orange County, California, USA
Burial Details Unknown
Major League Baseball Player, Manager, Coach.

For five seasons (1959 to 1963), he was a catcher with the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets. Born Norman Burt Sherry, he was raised in Los Angeles where he attended Fairfax High School.

Signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers as an amateur free agent in 1950, his Minor League career was interrupted for two years (1952 to 1953) while he served with the United States Military. He made his Major League debut on April 12, 1959 and played in three games with the Los Angeles Dodgers’ team who went on to win the World Series that season.

While with the Dodgers (1959 to 1962), he served as a backup for catcher John Roseboro and is widely credited with refining Sandy Koufax’s career. After retiring as a player following a stint with the New York Mets (1963), he served as a Minor League manager with the Los Angeles Dodgers (1965 to 1967) and in 1968, he served as a scout with the New York Yankees.

From 1969 until 1975, he alternated as a manager within the California Angels’ Minor League system and as a coach on the California Angels’ Major League team. In 1976, he succeeded Dick Williams as manager of the California Angels and remained at that capacity until 1977.

He rejoined Dick Williams as a coach with the Montreal Expos (1978 to 1981) and is credited with refining Gary Carter’s catching skills. He followed Williams to San Diego (1982 to 1984) and was on the Padres’ coaching staff when they won the National League Pennant in 1984.

His final coaching assignment was with the San Francisco Giants (1986 to 1991). He was the older brother of Major League pitcher Larry Sherry who he was a teammate of with the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1959 until 1962.

Norm Sherry (1931-2021) Baseball Player, Manager and Coach