Phillies reassign manager Mackanin
Catcher Sanchez will remain Yankees starter for playoffs.
Pete Mackanin got a contract extension when the Philadelphia Phillies were scuffling and lost his job after they turned it around.
Mackanin, 66, is out as manager after 2½ seasons but will remain in the dugout for the final three games this weekend and return as a special assistant to general manager Matt Klentak in 2018.
“I’m disappointed, surely,” Mackanin said Friday. “But I understand it and I’m happy to be part of it down the road. I believe in Matt Klentak and I believe in what he’s doing and the fact that he wants me to continue in this (new) capacity is the most important thing.”
The Phillies are 64-95 this season, last in the NL East and with the second-worst record in the league. Philadelphia has not been to the postseason since 2011.
The 66-year-old Mackanin succeeded Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg on June 26, 2015. His record with Philadelphia is 172-237.
Yankees: Manager Joe Gir ar di is sticking with catcher Gary Sanchez for the postseason despite the 24-year-old’s defensive difficulties.
Sanchez leads the major leagues in passed balls with 16 and has been behind the plate for 53 wild pitches, four shy of the big league-leading total of Colorado’s Jonathan Lucroy.
Mets: Manager Terry Collins defended his use of the bullpen early in the season after published reports quoted unnamed team officials who disapproved of the job he did.
“It’s part of the job,” Collins said. “You sit here and make the best decisions that you think are in the best interest of those involved. We never sent anyone out there to hurt anybody.”
Nationals: Outfielder Bryce Harper won’t play in a full game this weekend against Pittsburgh, the team announced. Harper is recovering from a hyperextended right knee sustained Aug. 12.
Cubs: Jake Arrieta (14-10, 3.53 ERA), the 2015 Cy Young winner, will not pitch his regular turn Sunday against the Reds. Manager Joe Maddon is resting Arrieta for the playoffs. Mike Montgomery will get the start.
Astros: A crowd-funding campaign started by outfielder/DH Carlos Beltran has already raised nearly $1.3 million to help with hurricane relief in his native Puerto Rico. Beltran and his family started it with a $1 million donation.