Dodgers’ 1988 Championship Architect Fred Claire Dies at 91

Fred Claire died Monday on his 91st birthday. He spent 30 seasons with the Dodgers and became general manager in April 1987 after Al Campanis was dismissed. He signed Kirk Gibson and acquired Alfredo Griffin, Jay Howell, Jesse Orosco and Mike Davis after the 1987 team lost 89 games. The Dodgers then beat the Oakland Athletics in the 1988 World Series. Gibson won NL MVP and hit a pinch-hit home run in Game 1. Claire was named The Sporting News Major League Executive of the Year. Ross Porter announced the death on Facebook: "I lost a close friend today. The world lost a good man." Born in Jamestown, Ohio, Claire moved to Torrance in 1950, graduated San Jose State in 1957 with a journalism degree, worked as a sportswriter, and joined the Dodgers as publicity director in 1969. He and Peter O'Malley were honored before a 2021 Dodgers-Rockies game at Dodger Stadium. What is contested: Right-rated New York Post leads with the architect label and names Gibson and Mike Davis as key outfield acquisitions. Center-rated Los Angeles Times stresses Claire was a former sportswriter and public-relations executive whose 1987 promotion met skepticism. Accounts vary on which of Griffin, Howell, Orosco and Davis to list with Gibson.