Mariners Fire Manager Don Wakamatsu and Several Others
The Seattle Mariners have seen enough from Manager Don Wakamatsu. Wakamatsu has been fired by the team, along with pitching Coach Rick Adair, bench coach Ty Van Burkleo, and performance coach Steve Hecht.
The Mariners have brought in Daren Brown, the team’s Triple-A manager of Tacoma, to be the interim manager for the remainder of the season.
The last place Seattle Mariners have been a big disappointment this season. The team was expected to perform well with the addition of Cliff Lee during the offseason. Things did not work out and the team traded their ace to the first place Texas Rangers.
Wakamatsu is now the league’s fifth manager to be fired this season. Also let go by other teams were Baltimore's Dave Trembley, Kansas City's Trey Hillman, Arizona's A.J. Hinch, and Florida's Fredi Gonzalez.
"I have concluded that these changes needed to be made now and that they are in the best interest of the Mariners as we move forward," Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik said. "Don, Ty and Rick are all good baseball men and they have done their very best. But we are where we are. I no longer have confidence that Don, Ty and Rick are the right long-term fit for our organization. New leadership is needed and it is needed now."
The Mariners entered Monday at 42-70, with the second-worst record in the American League. That is a huge disappointment considering the team finished 85-77 last season, in Wakamatsu’s first season with the team. They were expected to make the playoffs this year with their new additions, but they have stunk up the joint at Safeco Field and ballparks around the league.
Other additions to the Mariners in the offseason included infielder Chone Figgins, and outfielder Milton Bradley. The Mariners offence has been the biggest letdown. They are the worst offence in the majors so far and are well out of a playoff race.
"I'll be all right," the 47-year-old Wakamatsu said. "I've been in this game a long time, and I have a lot of people pulling for me -- most of all my family."
This season, Wakamatsu benched aging slugger Ken Griffey Jr, a Mariners icon, before the legendary player retired in June. He also got into arguments with Figgins, the Mariners prized free agent signing.
The Mariners also suffered their worst month of July in franchise history, going 6-22. Zduriencik came out in support of Wakamatsu days later, saying he would still be their manager, but patience can wear thin in a hurry.
Brown is now set to take over for the rest of the season. He will be joined by other parts of his staff from Tacoma, including Roger Hansen as his bench coach and Carl Willis as his pitching coach.
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