Gaston and Aaron had special bond

Before he became a legendary Toronto Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston (right) was a 23-year-old outfielder with the Atlanta Braves who roomed with Hank Aaron for part of the 1967 season. Aaron passed away on Friday at the age of 86. Photo: National Baseball Hall of Fame

January 22, 2021

By Andrew Hendriks

Canadian Baseball Network

Long before becoming the first manager since Sparky Anderson to pilot his squad to World Series victories in back-to-back seasons, former Toronto Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston was a polished outfield prospect in the Atlanta Braves system.

In 1967, a .305/.365/.406 slash line with double-A Austin earned the then 23-year-old his first Major League call up. He joined the Braves in Atlanta on September 14 and was promptly assigned a locker in the team's clubhouse, the number 25, and a teammate to bunk with when they hit the road for St. Louis four days later.

That teammate was none other than Hank Aaron, the Braves' perennial All-Star right fielder who, at the time, was en route to finishing the year with the most home runs (39) in the senior circuit for a fourth and final time during his Hall of Fame career.

Unlike the vast majority of established ballplayers in that era, Aaron invited the opportunity to spend time with younger talent. He was known as a quiet leader and took pride in teaching the games' newest recruits how to conduct themselves appropriately.

This was no different in Gaston's case, and the two quickly struck up a lasting friendship.

"Hank and I are good friends, and I've never expressed this to him, but he taught me how to be a man; how to stand on my own," explained Gaston in a 1994 interview with Ebony Magazine.

"He taught me how to handle my money, and how to deal with many of those things associated with baseball off the field. He even taught me how to tie a tie. He was kind of a father-figure. And when you are younger and away from home, it's good to run into those type of people. I just thank God that I ran into Hank Aaron."

In 1968, Gaston was selected by the San Diego Padres in the expansion draft and would emerge as an All-star for the Friars two years later.

In retirement, the two remained close friends. Whenever Aaron, who had promptly transitioned into a front-office role with the Braves following the 1976 season, would hear about a coaching opportunity, he would get on the phone to Gaston.

"He called me a couple of times and asked me to come back as a coach," said Gaston in a 1989 interview with the New York Times. "The third time he called, I said yes."

Three years removed from his final at-bat in the big leagues, Gaston accepted a role as Atlanta's minor league hitting instructor.

When former Braves field boss Bobby Cox signed on to helm the Toronto Blue Jays in 1981, he handpicked a squad of coaches to join him north of the border. Gaston was one of the first names on that list.

You know the rest of the story. Serving as the club's hitting coach from 1981 to 1989, Gaston was a part of numerous pennant races and a 1985 finish that saw the club win 99 games and reach the postseason for the first time in franchise history. He took over as the club's skipper midway through the 1989 campaign and reached the postseason two more times before winning it all in 1992 and 1993.

As a manager, Gaston was praised for his ability to navigate personalities with a soft-spoken and steady demeanor.

"It's not easy dealing with 25 different guys, different characters," Blue Jays infielder Tony Fernandez once said when asked about Gaston during an interview with MLB.com. "He had a father-like approach and coaching style. To me, those are the kinds of coaches who have more success with their players."

Gaston's balanced and solicitous nature mirrors that of his long-time friend Hank Aaron, a baseball icon whose effect off the field may have been just as great as the one he had on it.

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