Joe Torre after failing to win a championship when he was a professional baseball player and as Manager to three teams is named Manager of the Yankees. And he finds himself having players like Dwight Gooden, Wade Boggs and Daryl Strawberry who are considered has beens. And players like David Cone who are ill. But nevertheless thinks he can win with them. At the same he deals with the loss of one brother and another brother battling the same condition that killed his brother.—[email protected]
Joe attends the 1957 world series games with his mother. Joe is the younger brother of the New York Yankees ball player Frank Torre.
Joe Torre (Paul Sorvino) after failing to win a championship when he was a professional baseball player and after serving as Manager to three different teams (from which he was fired), Joe is named Manager of the Yankees. Joe arrives in Brooklyn in 1995. Joe is married to Ali (Barbara Williams). Joe has been divorced twice and Ali gives birth to their child.Bob Watson (Eugene Clark) is the General Manager of the team, who works for the team owner George Steinbrenner (Kenneth Welsh). George wants to win the world series with focus and dedication. The commentators don't believe that Joe will stay for even 6 months and George is notorious for firing his managers. Joe brings Don Zimmer (Gailard Sartain) out of retirement to be his bench coach.
Joe played 2209 baseball games and 1,901 as a manager and never made it to the world series. 18 years as a player, 19 years as a manager. Joe has spent more time in a baseball uniform then anyone else in the history of the game.
Joe finds himself having players like Dwight Gooden (Isaiah Washington), Wade Boggs (Aidan Devine) and Daryl Strawberry (Howard Dell) who are considered has been.
Dwight is a pitcher who hasn't pitched in more than 18 months and has had drug problems in the past. All through spring training, Dwight struggles to get his rhythm, despite Joe giving him a really long rope. 4 out of the 5 backup pitchers are out of action for one reason or another.The experts predict a long season since Yankees have no pitchers.
The 1996 season starts badly. There are 162 games in a regular baseball season and the Yankees start by losing 21 of them. In the last few games, they were in a winning position, but lost it when Dwight gave away too many runs in the later innings.Joe takes Dwight out of the rotation and uses Cone as the replacement pitcher. David Cone (Dean McDermott) is ill.
The coaches cannot figure out what is wrong with Dwight. Joe finally figures that Dwight is trying to play the same way as he did in 1985, when he was 21 years old. Joe gets the pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre to correct Dwight's action.Jow finds out after a game that Cone's fingers are numb, and to a doctor he admits that he cannot feel his fingers after the 4th innings. But nevertheless, thinks he can win with them. Joe finds out that Cone needs surgery for Aneurysm in his pitching shoulder.
Joe rallies the team in Cone's absence and brings Dwight back as the pitcher. Dwight has an excellent game and wins it for the Yankees. The Yankees turn around as a team after this game and the experts credit Joe with the success.The team spirit improves in the dugout, and everybody is rooting for each other. Yankees start winning their games. There are no stars, and Joe has the players working like a team. Even an obscure hitter like Daryl starts hitting home runs to win games for the Yankees.
Rae Torre (Marilyn Chris) is Joe's elder sister who goes to meet Frank (Robert Loggia) in Florida. She believes that something is wrong that Joe is in New York managing the Yankees, yet Frank chooses to stay all the way in Florida.Rae calls Joe from Florida and tells him that Frank is struggling with his health. Joe asks Frank to see a doctor. Joe and Frank's older brother Rocco (Rummy Bishop) dies of heart failure.Joe is determined not to lose Frank. Joe brings Frank to New York for his treatment. The doctor tells Joe that Frank needs a new heart. The hard part of the process is to find a compatible donor, which can take months. The doctor says that Frank may not have that much time.
Due to this distraction, Yankees lose a string of games, but are still in first position in the league. David Cone returns to the team after his shoulder surgery, and this lifts the mood of the team.Paul O'Neill (Andrew Jackson) misses a simple catch in the outfield. Joe manages such incidents with his characteristic calm and composure and asks Paul to take a break.Yet, the media reports the next day that Joe benched Paul. Joe confronts the reporter and says that Paul is a team player who gives his 100% to the team every single day, and that is something that the reporters will never understand. Joe says that he took Paul out as he could see that his legs were hurting, and he is needed for the rest of the season. Joe credits Paul as the reason why Yankees are in the first place.
Yankees have lost 4 in a row when they go up against the Seattle Mariners. The 2 teams hate each other with a passion. The Mariners always target Paul with a ball aimed at his head. Paul is livid and starts a brawl, which gets the team fired up.Yet, the streak continues, and the Yankees 12 games lead is reduced to a 7-game lead is then further reduced to 2.5 games. There are media reports that Bob and Joe are going to be fired.
Goerge forces some changes by trading in some new players, but Joe manages his team by making his regulars feel comfortable and part of the team.Cone starts playing games again after a long recovery period. Cone pitches an excellent game. The Yankees hold on to their lead and win the 1996 Eastern Division Championship.
They then win the American League Championship against Baltimore (4-1) and enter the world series against Atlanta. Yankees lose the first game 10-0 and George panics. Joe tells George that will lose the 2nd game as well, before winning 3 straight in Atlanta and then winning the World Series in NY. This is exactly how it works out.Frank gets a donor, and the surgery takes place. Yankees win the World Series 4-2.
