YANKEES FIRE GIRARDI
Club fires manager after a 10-year run
The Yankees part ways with manager Joe Girardi after 10 years and one World Series title.
Joe Girardi was fired as New York Yankees manager Thursday after a decade that produced just one World Series title for a team that expects to win every year.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman made the announcement five days after New York lost to Houston in Game 7 of the AL Championship Series.
“With a heavy heart, I come to you because the Yankees have decided not to bring me back,” Girardi said in a statement released by his agent, Steven Mandell. “I’d like to thank the fans for their great support as a player, coach and manager and the lasting memories of their passion and excitement during the playoff games.”
An intense and driven former AllStar catcher, Girardi was at the end of his four-year contract and said last weekend he had to speak with his family before deciding whether he wanted to return. New York made the decision for him.
“Everything this organization does is done with careful and thorough consideration, and we’ve decided to pursue alternatives for the managerial position,” Cashman said in a statement.
Girardi’s 910-710 regular-season record with the Yankees is sixth in victories managing the team behind Joe McCarthy (1,460), Joe Torre (1,173), Casey Stengel (1,149), Miller Huggins (1,067) and Ralph Houk (944).
Cashman said he and owner Hal Steinbrenner had spoken directly with Girardi this week.
There is no clear favorite to replace him. Candidates from within the organization could include bench coach Rob Thomson, Triple-A Scranton manager Al Pedrique and Class A Tampa manager Jay Bell. Possibilities from outside the organization include former Kansas City manager Trey Hillman, a one-time Yankees special assistant who managed in South Korea this year; Mets hitting coach Kevin Long, who held the same role with the Yankees from 2007-14; and former Philadelphia manager Pete Mackanin, who was a pro scout for the Yankees in 2008 and 2013.
CARDINALS: Former Nationals pitching coach Mike Maddux has been hired by St. Louis.
Maddux replaces Derek Lilliquist on manager Mike Mathney’s staff. He joins the Cardinals after spending the last two seasons in Washington, where he coached 2016 Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer.
CUBS: The Cubs parted ways with pitching coach Chris Bosio and hired Chili Davis as their hitting coach to replace John Mallee as part of a major shake-up to Joe Maddon’s staff following their ouster in the National League Championship Series a year after winning the championship.
The Cubs also said Brian Butterfield will be the new third base coach. The team decided not to exercise its 2018 option on Bosio’s contract.
ASTROS: Manager A.J. Hinch firmly said there was “no altercation” at a hotel in California this week at the World Series following a TMZ Sports report that he argued with bar patrons. Hinch called the report “some nonsense and fabrications.”