Pat Gillick (born August 22, 1937) was a successful general manager in Major League Baseball during the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s.
Born in Chico, California, Gillick graduated from USC in 1958 with a degree in business. He was also a gifted pitcher, playing on the 1958 National Title baseball team at USC and spending five years in the Baltimore Orioles minor league system, venturing as high as Triple-A.
Gillick retired from playing and began a front-office career in 1963 when he became the assistant farm director with the Houston Astros. He would eventually work his way up to the position of Director of Scouting before moving to the New York Yankees system in 1974 as a Coordinator of Player Development. In 1976 he moved again, this time to the expansion Toronto Blue Jays, becoming their Vice President of Player Personnel, and in 1977, their Vice President of Baseball Operations. In 1984 he was named Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations.
As Toronto's general manager, Gillick won five division titles (1985, 1989, 1991, 1992 and 1993) and led the club to their first World Series championships in 1992 and 1993.
In 1995, Gillick was named the general manager of the Baltimore Orioles organization and he guided the Orioles to the playoffs in 1996 and 1997. He left at the conclusion of his three-year contract in 1998.
Gillick then became the general manager of the Seattle Mariners and helped build one of the strongest teams in the American League during his tenure there (2000 through 2003). During this time, the Mariners had the best record in baseball (393-255), including a phenomenal 2001 campaign which saw them post a 116-46 record, tying the Major League Baseball record for wins in a season. They twice made the post-season, losing in the American League Championship Series in 2000 and 2001. Gillick was, however, criticized in his latter years for not making deals at the trade deadline which might have improved the club into a World Series contender.
Gillick was inducted into the Toronto Blue Jays "Level of Excellence" on August 8, 2002.
He was named the Philadelphia Phillies general manager on November 2, 2005.