SEATTLE — Nearly halfway through one of the most disappointing seasons in the history of the Seattle Mariners, the team fired manager John McLaren this morning.
McLaren was let go shortly before the team left Seattle on a nine-game road trip to play the Atlanta Braves, New York Mets and San Diego Padres. They begin the trip Friday night in Atlanta.
Bench coach Jim Riggleman, who has more than seven years of managing experience with the Padres and Chicago Cubs, will replace McLaren.
The move comes three days after the Mariners fired general manager Bill Bavasi. Assistant GM Lee Pelekoudas has replaced him on an interim basis.
On June 9, the team fired hitting coach Jeff Pentland and replaced him with veteran coach Lee Elia.
The Mariners have the worst record in the major leagues, 25-47, and McLaren, 56, leaves with a 68-88 overall record as manager. This was his first major league managing job in a 39-year career in pro baseball as a player, coach or manager.
He took over last July 2 after Mike Hargrove abruptly resigned, saying he was burned out despite having a winning record. Under McLaren, the Mariners were 43-41 the rest of the season but lost 13 games in a 14-game stretch in late August and early September. That took them out of contention in the American League West Division after they’d been one game behind the first-place Angels.
Still, the Mariners finished with 88 victories and the team’s first winning record since 2003.
With several additions to the lineup this year, especially the starting pitching, the Mariners were expected to contend in the division in 2008.
Instead, they won only eight games in May and have continued through a rocky June despite the personnel changes.
McLaren, who has coached or managed in pro baseball since 1977, was part of former manager Lou Piniella’s coaching staff when the Mariners fielded playoff teams in 1995, 1997, 2000 and 2001.
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