Renteria out as White Sox manager
Split comes after disappointing finish in playoffs
Chicago The Chicago White Sox and manager Rick Renteria have agreed to split following a disappointing finish to a breakout season in which the team made the playoffs for the first time in 12 years.
The White Sox announced Monday that Renteria won’t return after he led them to a 35-25 record in his pandemic-shortened fourth year. They ended a string of seven consecutive losing seasons with their first playoff appearance since 2008.
The White Sox held a three-game lead in the AL Central before losing seven of their final eight to finish tied for second with Cleveland, one behind Minnesota. Chicago then got knocked out by Oakland in three games in their wild-card series.
Renteria drew criticism for some questionable decisions down the stretch.
And now, he and the
White Sox are moving on.
Athletics: Oakland executive Billy Beane could leave the organization if his Redball Acquisition Corp., a specialpurpose acquisition company, completes a successful merger with John Henry’s Fenway Sports Group, the Wall Street Journal reports. Because Fenway Sports Group is the principal owner of the Boston Red Sox, MLB could deem the merger a conflict of interest for Beane. The Journal specified that Beane would not take a job heading up the Red Sox front office, instead focusing on the company’s potential for acquiring additional soccer clubs beyond Liverpool, the current European Premier League champion owned by Fenway.
The A’s have not responded for comment on the report.
Padres: San Diego outfielder Tommy Pham is recovering after he was stabbed in the back Sunday night, authorities said. Pham was stabbed shortly after 10:30 p.m. outside the Pacers Showgirls International gentlemen’s club, police Lt. Shawn Takeuchi told the San Diego Union-tribune. Pham apparently didn’t know the attackers, who remain at large, he said. Two people who said they spoke with Pham told the Union-tribune that Pham was leaving and saw an argument taking place near his car. One person told the paper that Pham was attacked after asking the arguing people to get away from his car. Pham was
stabbed in the lower back and the wound pierced all three layers of skin but didn’t damage any organs, according to a statement from the Padres. The team said he was in good condition and is expected to fully recover. Pham, 32, was traded to the Padres last year after six seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays and St. Louis Cardinals. He hit .211 this year with three home runs.
Twins: Minnesota shortstop Jorge Polanco is recovering from surgery on his right ankle for a second straight offseason. The Twins announced Monday that Polanco had a procedure last week to remove a mild bone spur and a small bone chip on the outside of the joint that went as planned. He had a similar cleanup operation about a year ago. Polanco will begin physical therapy next week, and the Twins said he’s expected to be ready when spring training starts in four months.