M's Fire Wakamatsu

[theremedy360]

 SEATTLE -- Less than one year after guiding the Mariners to a 25-win improvement, manager Don Wakamatsu received his pink slip late Monday morning.

The first-time big league manager was dismissed, along with bench coach Ty Van Burkleo, pitching coach Rick Adair and Steve Hecht, the team's performance coach.

Daren Brown, who has managed Triple-A Tacoma for the past four years, was named interim manager, and he will call the shots beginning with Monday night's game against the Athletics at Safeco Field.

"I have concluded that these changes needed to be made now and that they are in the best interest of the Mariners as we move forward," general manager Jack Zduriencik said in a release. "Don, Ty and Rick are all good baseball men, and they have done their very best. But we are where we are. I no longer have confidence that Don, Ty and Rick are the right long-term fit for our organization. New leadership is needed, and it is needed now."

Wakamatsu, who was Zduriencik's first manager since becoming GM, piloted the Mariners to an 85-77 record and third-place finish in the American League West last season, which helped remove the sour taste left over from the 101-loss Mariners team from the previous season.

Wakamatsu guided the team with an even-keel approach throughout the 2009 season, but that approach did not work this year.

After losing run-producing third baseman Adrian Beltre and first baseman Russell Branyan to free agency, the Mariners relied on pitching, defense and timely hitting this season. Though the pitching has been solid, the defense has been so-so and the hitting, for the most part, far below what the organization expected, resulting in a 42-70 record.

The Mariners held their own in April, posting an 11-12 record despite not having left-hander Cliff Lee, who spent the first month of the season on the disabled list. But the team struggled in May, going 8-19 to fall into the division cellar, and performed even worse in July, tying a franchise record with 22 losses.

As recently as last week, Zduriencik gave Wakamatsu a tepid vote of confidence, but did not tip his hand one way or another.

Along the way, batting coach Alan Cockrell was dismissed, and icon Ken Griffey Jr. retired following a reported "napping" incident in the clubhouse during a game against the Angels.

There was no immediate word from Zduriencik on plans to permanently replace Wakamatsu and the coaches who were let go.

Roger Hansen, who had been the Mariners' Minor League catching coordinator, takes over as the bench coach, and Carl Willis, who was the Mariners' Minor League pitching coordinator, takes on the responsibility of big league pitching coach.





Not a fan of this move...but I guess when your team has sucked as much as we do you have to do something to shake things up.