[7] In 1981, Collins began his managing career as pilot of the Dodgers' Single-A Lodi affiliate in the California League.

In 1983, he managed the Albuquerque Dukes, the Dodgers' Triple–A affiliate also in winter to Mayos de Navojoa in the Mexican Pacific League.

[14] They never were a particular threat to the Reds, but they were in the hunt for the newly instituted Wild Card until the Colorado Rockies (a third year expansion team) swooped in and won the spot by one game.

A feud between pitchers and batters boiled over to the public, while owner Drayton McLane pushed for a new ballpark with a second choice being a move to Virginia.

[18] Baseball analyst Joe Morgan suggests that Collins was partly to blame for the Astros' failure to make the playoffs.

To alleviate the tension the manager was bringing to the clubhouse, they put added pressure on themselves to perform well, which invariably choked off their natural abilities so that they can't play their best.

[20] He apparently received a vote of confidence from the front office, but the players had petitioned GM Bill Bavasi to fire him.

[18] At the end of the 2006 season, Collins signed a two-year deal to manage the Orix Buffaloes of the Pacific League in Japan.

[23] Collins wore number 10 to honor his managing mentor and friend Jim Leyland of the Detroit Tigers.

In 2013, San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy selected Collins as one of his coaches at the 2013 All-Star Game which was located at the Mets' ballpark, Citi Field.

[26] When Jim Leyland retired in October 2013, Collins became the oldest active manager in Major League Baseball.

[27] On June 16, 2015, Collins won his 340th game as Mets manager, passing Gil Hodges for the third-most in franchise history.

On October 15, 2015, the Mets defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers to advance to Collins's first-ever National League Championship Series appearance.

[29] On October 21, 2015, the Mets defeated the Chicago Cubs to advance to the 2015 World Series versus the Kansas City Royals.

On November 2, Collins made the decision to leave starter Matt Harvey in Game 5 for the ninth inning with the Mets holding a 2–0 lead.

Harvey gave up two earned runs in the inning to allow the Royals to tie the game and eventually win the Series, leading to questions about Collins's strategy.

The video showcased Collins's heated and profanity-laced argument with MLB umpire Tom Hallion after pitcher Noah Syndergaard was ejected for attempting to throw a beanball at Chase Utley.

The umpire crew, aware of the history between the two teams, viewed the pitch as retaliation and used that to justify an immediate ejection for Syndergaard, despite not issuing warnings before the game.

[34] In 2016, despite a record below .500 (60-62) on August 19, the Mets went 27-13 in their final 40 games to make the postseason in consecutive seasons for the second time in franchise history.

[35] On August 25, 2017, Collins won his 537th game with the Mets, making him the second-winningest manager in franchise history behind only Davey Johnson.

Immediately upon his retirement from the managerial role, Collins was named as a special assistant to the General Manager of the New York Mets.