The Pittsburgh Pirates fired manager Clint Hurdle before Sunday’s season finale, according to the Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. The announcement comes following a major collapse that saw the team go from the middle of the postseason hunt to last place in the divison.
#Pirates firing manager Clint Hurdle, sources tell The Athletic. GM Neal Huntington will stay. Coaching staff to be determined by net manager.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) September 29, 2019
Hurdle was fired hours after talking to the media, where he told them he had a “guarded optimism” for the future of his team. He was reportedly given the option to manage the Pirates’ final game, but declined.
Hurdle had been the manager of the Pirates since 2010 and posted a 735-720-1 record in 9 seasons and was fourth all-time in wins for the organization, behind Fred Clarke, Danny Murtaugh, and Jim Leyland.
“This was an extremely difficult decision for us,” Neal Huntington, Pirates Vice President and General Manager, said in a statement released by the team. “As an organization, we believe it was time for a managerial change to introduce a new voice and leadership inside the clubhouse.”
A fresh start may be just what Pittsburgh needed after a second half of the season that was mired by failure and controversy. The Pirates went into the All-Star break with a 44-45 record, right in the thick of the postseason race. They subsequently went 25-47 after the All-Star break and entered Sunday’s game at 69-92.
The team was also having trouble off the field. Felipe Vazquez is currently facing felony charges of statutory sexual assault, unlawful contact with a minor, and corruption of minors. He is also facing one misdemeanor count of indecent assault of a person under 16 years old.
Vazquez also got into a fight with reliever Kyle Crick, who had to undergo surgery on his finger as a result, ending his season.
In addition to Vazquez’ antics, reliever Keone Kela was suspended after arguing with a team official.
It will be interesting to see what direction the Pirates take from here. Do they go after recently dismissed Joe Maddon, or do they give someone younger a shot? Whatever it is, Pittsburgh seems committed to getting back to the postseason, were they never advanced past the NLDS under Hurdle.
