Fred Claire, the former Los Angeles Dodgers general manager who built the 1988 World Series championship team, died Monday in Pasadena, California, on his 91st birthday, the team announced Tuesday. His death was reported by The Associated Press and MLB.com.
Claire spent 30 years with the Dodgers organization, working his way from public relations into the front office before taking over as general manager in 1987. He later became one of the most recognizable executives in franchise history, credited with shaping both the on-field product and the club’s public identity.
A Path That Began In The Press Box
Claire’s path to the Dodgers began outside the organization. He worked as a sportswriter and editor at several California publications for more than a decade before being assigned to cover the Dodgers for the Long Beach Press-Telegram in 1969, according to the AP. That assignment led him into the team’s public relations department, and by 1975 he had risen to team vice president, taking part in discussions on free agents, arbitration and payroll.
Claire’s ascent to general manager came under difficult circumstances. In April 1987, then-GM Al Campanis sparked outrage with remarks on ABC’s “Nightline” questioning whether Black people had the skills needed for front-office jobs in baseball. The club dismissed Campanis within 48 hours, and Claire stepped into the GM role, per the AP.
Fred Claire Built The 1988 Champions
The Dodgers were a fourth-place team when Claire took over, and little was expected of them heading into the next season, according to MLB.com. Los Angeles finished 73-89 in Claire’s first full season in 1987, but the roster he assembled turned into a World Series champion in 1988.
“People say it wasn’t that talented of a team,” Claire said, per MLB.com. “Oh, yes. Show me a pitching staff that year that had an Orel Hershiser, who was the best in the game, the best in decades?
We had Tim Belcher, who we had brought in from Oakland. We had Tim Leary. We had the success of Jay Howell in the bullpen.
We had a good defense, as it showed. Bringing in [center fielder] John Shelby in 1987 [from the Orioles] he did a tremendous job for us.”
The 1988 title proved difficult to replicate. The Dodgers made the playoffs just twice over the following decade, losing in the first round both times, before winning another World Series 32 years later, according to the AP.
Dodger Blue And Beyond
Claire’s influence on the franchise extended beyond wins and losses. He was instrumental in creating the “Dodger Blue” branding and the “Think Blue” campaign that became central to the team’s identity, according to MLB.com.
“What I really had in mind in marketing was to create something that would really give a strong, almost collegiate feel about a professional baseball team, the Dodgers,” Claire said, per MLB.com. “And Michigan [had] ‘Big Blue.’ So I came up with using ‘Dodger Blue’ as a theme.”
Claire also hired broadcaster Ross Porter, who called Dodgers games from 1977 to 2004, and he helped the franchise reach a milestone in 1978 when the Dodgers drew 3.3 million fans, becoming the first MLB team to top 3 million in attendance, per the AP.
Later Years And Cancer Battle
Doctors found squamous cell skin cancer on Claire’s lip in January 2015, when he was 80, and the disease later spread to his jaw and neck. He had a facial nerve and several lymph nodes taken out in surgery, then spent 11 years going through radiation, chemotherapy and immunotherapy, according to the AP.
Claire remained connected to baseball through his writing, co-authoring “Fred Claire: My 30 Years in Dodger Blue” in 2004 and “Extra Innings: Fred Claire’s Journey to City of Hope and Finding a World Championship Team” in 2020. He also worked as a columnist and analyst for MLB.com in his later years.
He pointed to his charity work as among his proudest accomplishments. “I think the highlight of my life and Sheryl’s life is we raised a half million dollars through two golf tournaments,” Claire said, per MLB.com. “All the former Dodgers and baseball people, everyone showed up. … We did something that can help make a difference.”
Stan Kasten, Dodgers president and CEO, said in a statement that Claire “brought many victories and Dodger legends to our franchise, as well as a 1988 World Series title, and we are forever grateful for his leadership during such a memorable era.”
Reporting from FOX Sports, The Associated Press and MLB.com contributed to this story.
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