Philadephia Phillies general manager and senior vice president Ruben Amaro Jr. said Friday the team has fired manager Charlie Manuel, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Third base coach—and Hall of Famer—Ryan Sandberg will take over as interim for tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers and for the remainder of the season.
Manuel took over the team in 2005 and from 2007-2011 he led them to postseason appearances each year. However, the past two seasons have not been pleasant for the Phillies. In 2012 they finished third in the National League East with a record of 81-81, missing the playoffs for the first time in five years. This season they are sitting fourth in the division with a record of 53-67, trailing the division-leading Atlanta Braves (74-47) by 20.5 games and trailing the Cincinnati Reds (69-52) by 15.5 games for the final Wild Card spot.
This will be Sanberg’s first coaching job according to ESPN.com. The Hall-of-Fame infielder spent some time in the Chicago Cubs minor league system as the manager for Triple-A Lehigh Valley, hoping to one day get a chance at managing the Cubs. However, he found out he wouldn’t be given a chance after Theo Epstein became the organizations General Manager. Sandberg then parted ways with the Cubs, the franchise in which he constructed his Hall-of-Fame career.
The 53-year old will now replace Manuel who had a record of 780-636 as a Phillies manager—making him the winningest manager in the organizations history. He also brought them to two World Series, beating the Tampa Bay Rays in 2008 and losing to the New York Yankees in 2009.
"I'm mad because they took the best seat in the house from me," Manuel said,
He added, "I enjoyed every bit of it."
The team has offered him another position in the organization. However, Manuel said he has to “get some time off to sit and think."
And don’t think he’s done managing.
"I think I can manage for a few more years, two or three more years," he said.
The 69-year old ran the Cleveland Indians before he took over the Phillies. He has a lifetime managing record of 1,000-826 in 12 seasons.
