Thomas James Lawless (born December 19, 1956) is an American former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) player who played between and , appearing with the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos () were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in the National League (baseball), National League ...

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

, and

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

. He was the interim manager of the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

in 2014.

Career

Lawless grew up in Erie, Pennsylvania, attending Strong Vincent High School and Penn State Behrend, where he played baseball from 1975 to 1978. Lawless became famous in when he became the only player ever traded for

Pete Rose Peter Edward Rose Sr. (April 14, 1941 – September 30, 2024), nicknamed "Charlie Hustle", was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1963 to 1986, most prominently as a member of ...

. Lawless, who only hit two regular-season home runs in his career, is also remembered for his dramatic go-ahead home run in Game 4 of the

1987 World Series The 1987 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1987 season. The 84th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion Minnesota Twins and the Nati ...

(he had hit .080 in 25 at-bats during the

regular season In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major League Baseball the season lasts approximately from the last week of March to the last week of S ...

.) Lawless later expressed shock that he had managed to hit a home run. "When it went over the wall, I thought, 'Holy cow, it went out.' I went blank. I don't remember flipping the bat." On May 10, 1989, while with the Toronto Blue Jays, Lawless' ninth-inning single broke up a no-hit bid by

Mark Langston Mark Edward Langston (born August 20, 1960) is an American former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He pitched for the Seattle Mariners (1984–1989), Montreal Expos (1989), California / Anaheim Angels (1990–1997), San Diego Padres ( ...

of the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

. A fast and highly skilled baserunner, Lawless struggled to hit major league pitching and retired in 1990. He entered the coaching ranks and has become a successful

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nort ...

manager. In 2007, he served as a coach for the China national baseball team during its participation in Major League Baseball's Instructional League program and in the Arizona Fall League. He managed the

Lexington Legends The Lexington Legends are an American professional baseball team based in Lexington, Kentucky. They are a member of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a "partner league" of Major League Baseball. The Legends have ...

, the Class A affiliate of the

, for the 2009 season. On November 16, 2009, Lawless was named the new manager for the

Lancaster JetHawks The Lancaster JetHawks were a baseball team located in Lancaster, California. They were named for the city's association with the aerospace industry and played their home games at The Hangar. From 1996 to 2020, they were members of Minor League B ...

, the Class A Advanced affiliate of the Houston Astros, for the 2010 season. In 2011, Lawless was managing the

Corpus Christi Hooks The Corpus Christi Hooks are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Corpus Christi, Texas, and are named for the city's association with fishing. The team is owned b ...

of the

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

. On September 1, 2014, after the Astros fired Bo Porter, Lawless was hired as the interim manager.Astros fire Bo Porter
/ref> As interim manager with Houston, he had a record of 11 wins and 13 losses.

Managerial record

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lawless, Tom 1956 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada Baseball players from Erie, Pennsylvania Billings Mustangs players Cincinnati Reds players Houston Astros managers Indianapolis Indians players Louisville Redbirds players Major League Baseball left fielders Major League Baseball right fielders Major League Baseball second basemen Major League Baseball third basemen Minor league baseball managers Montreal Expos players Penn State Nittany Lions baseball players St. Louis Cardinals players Tampa Tarpons (1957–1987) players Toronto Blue Jays players Waterbury Reds players Wichita Aeros players