A look at key moments during Kapler's tenure with Giants
Gabe Kapler was fired Friday as the Giants' manager after holding the position for nearly four years.
A September record of 8-17 thus far saw San Francisco fall from wild-card favorite to being eliminated from the playoffs before the final series even began.
Here are some of the significant moments of Kapler's time managing the Giants:
Nov. 12, 2019: Kapler is hired by Giants president Farhan Zaidi to replace Bruce Bochy just a month after being fired two seasons into his Phillies tenure. Nov. 13, 2019: In his introductory press conference, Kapler is questioned about his reported mishandling of assault allegations during his tenure as the Dodgers' director of player development. When Kapler was informed of an assault of a 17-year-old girl that took place in the hotel room of Dodgers' minor league players, he did not inform the police and instead tried to arrange a meeting between the girl and the players. “I think this is the right time to say I'm sorry that I didn't make all of the right moves,” Kapler said.
Jan. 16, 2020: Kapler fills out his initial coaching staff,
including Alyssa Nakken, the first woman to be a full-time MLB coach.
July 23, 2020: Kapler makes his regular-season debut as the San Francisco manager in an 8-1loss at Dodger Stadium after the season was delayed three months by the COVID pandemic. He earned his first win two days later.
The Giants clinch the NL West on the final day of the season, beating the Padres 11-4 and pushing the Dodgers into the wild card with their
Oct. 3, 2021:
franchise-record 107th win. Oct. 14, 2021: The Dodgers beat the Giants 2-1 in Game 5 of the NL Division Series, eliminating Kapler's club in the first modern playoff matchup between the rivals. This was the final playoff game of Kapler's time in San Francisco. Nov. 12, 2021: Kapler signs a two-year contract extension, through the 2024 season, with the Giants. He had signed a three-year deal at the time of his hiring.
Nov. 16, 2021: Kapler is named NL Manager of the Year by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, receiving 28of 30first-place votes. He and Dusty Baker, a threetime winner, are the only two managers in Giants history to receive the award.
May 28, 2022: In the wake of the elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, Kapler writes in a blog post that he will not be coming out of the clubhouse or dugout onto the field for the national anthem for the time being. Kapler's protest began the day before. Oct. 1, 2022: Kapler's Giants are eliminated from playoff contention with four games to play. They went 18-10 in September but were 11-17 in July and 10-17in August. They finished 81-81.
Sept. 9, 2023: Pitcher Ross Stripling airs his frustration with not being activated after an IL stint, saying the club gave him conflicting messages about his activation.
Sept. 29, 2023: Kapler is fired after the team crumbles down the stretch, going 3-10 to fall from a wild-card position to elimination.