Seattle Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu relieved of his duties

Mariners fired manager Don Wakamatsu, Monday, Aug. 9, 2010.
Photo: Kevin P. Casey / AP


Manager firing, triple play make for wild M's day
By GREGG BELL, AP Sports Writer

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

More... (08-10) 00:07 PDT Seattle (AP) --

Don Wakamatsu, the major leagues' first Japanese-American manager, got fired by the Seattle Mariners hours before they hosted a Japanese heritage day celebration on their field.

As some of Seattle's more fed-up fans would say: Only the wayward Mariners.

A Monday that began with the last-place team canning Wakamatsu after one great season and about one half of a terrible one also included Seattle's first triple play in 15 years. That was in an oddly efficient, 3-1 win over playoff-contending Oakland.

Then 43-year-old interim manager Daren Brown, dazed from a lack of sleep following a short Sunday night managing Triple-A Tacoma and then a flight from Omaha, climbed into a laundry bin in Seattle and got rolled down a hallway by closer David Aardsma and into his first major-league beer shower.

Brown looked like an oversized baby in a stroller, smiling with his feet dangling over the front edge and arms over the sides.

He celebrated like a man who had finally made it to the big leagues after 1,485 games managing in the minors — and won.

"If I was going to sit down and draw it up, that's how I would have done it," Brown said in his Oklahoman drawl.

It's the first time something has gone according to plan in this wacky Mariners season, which has featured:

_ Wakamatsu benching storied slugger Ken Griffey Jr. because he was hitting .200 without a home run, and then the franchise icon angrily driving away to Florida — but not informing the Mariners he was retiring until he was hours into his drive, almost out of the state.

_ Outfielder Eric Byrnes inexplicably pulling his bat back on a suicide squeeze play to get a runner thrown out at home. A few minutes after that 2-0 loss in 12 innings to Texas, Byrnes drove out the clubhouse door on a beach cruiser bicycle and did a 90-degree left turn in a tunnel around startled general manager Jack Zduriencik. Byrnes was cut a few days later.

_ Wakamatsu taking mercurial slugger Milton Bradley out of a May game and sending him into the clubhouse because Bradley was irate for striking out. Bradley left the stadium during the game, and then got pulled over by a traffic cop for speeding on his way home. He came in the next day to ask Wakamatsu and Zduriencik for help with emotional issues. Bradley spent two weeks in counseling and on the restricted list.

_ Ace Cliff Lee, the prized winter acquisition and presumed piece that would get Seattle to its first postseason since 2001, missing the first month of the season following an unsuccessful attempt to heal his strained abdomen with unproven blood-spinning treatment. Lee returned to dominate, only to be traded to division-rival Texas last month when the Mariners fell so far out of the AL West race.

_ Chone Figgins, whom Zduriencik signed to a $36-million, free-agent contract last winter, repeatedly clashing with Wakamatsu. The last time resulted in an in-game dugout fracas. There was shouting, pushing, players trying to jump over others to fight, and infielder Jose Lopez getting his shirt pulled over his back — all in front of half the home stadium and a national television audience. Figgins never apologized.

Monday, when approached following Wakamatsu's firing, Figgins smiled, shook his head and politely said, "I'm not going to talk about it, man."

_ First baseman Russell Branyan, the lone consistent threat to hit a home run on the worst offensive team in baseball, injured his foot recently when a table in his hotel room fell on it as he was trying to close curtains.

_ And starting shortstop Jack Wilson slipped in his bathroom early Sunday and broke his right hand. He's headed to surgery Wednesday and is likely out for the season.

So of course Seattle would turn its first triple play since July 13, 1995, against Toronto, on the day they fired Wakamatsu. Lopez took a chopper by Oakland's Mark Ellis in the fourth inning Monday and immediately stepped on third base for a forceout. Lopez then threw to second base for a forceout there, and Figgins' throw to first baseman Casey Kotchman appeared to arrive at the same time as Ellis' foot hit the bag, but first base umpire Cory Blaser called Ellis out.

The 5-4-3 play was the 10th triple putout for the Mariners, who began play in 1977.

Brown got the game ball from center fielder Franklin Gutierrez, who caught the final out. It will be the first souvenir for Brown's new office. That room was empty after Wakamatsu was forced to clear it out.

Brown became the 10th of Seattle's 17 managers to win their first game. Only one of the other 16 finished their Mariners tenure with a winning record: Lou Piniella.

Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle's perennial All-Star and cornerstone, called Wakamatsu's firing "frustrating."

"It's not just his responsibility (that we're losing). It's the whole team's responsibility," Suzuki said through his interpreter. "I don't think it's fair to say the manager's responsible to take the blame, because he's not."

Suzuki sees his Mariners back at square one, less than 12 months after Wakamatsu finished a revitalizing, 85-win season.

"That's the only way we can look at it," Suzuki said.

Zduriencik disagreed.

"I don't think we are back to square zero," the GM said, fittingly going even lower. "However, this season presented an opportunity for us. In that opportunity, a lot of things had to fall into place — with the acquisition of Cliff Lee, with the addition of Chone Figgins, and players I thought had to have good seasons.

"To look around and see so many players having sub-par seasons is very disturbing."



Seattle Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu relieved of his duties; Bench coach Ty Van Burkleo and pitching coach Rich Adair also let go
08/09/2010 3:19 PM ET
MLB.com

SEATTLE, Wash. -- Seattle Mariners Executive Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations Jack Zduriencik announced today that Don Wakamatsu has been relieved of his duties as manager. Zduriencik met with Wakamatsu this morning and informed him of the decision. In addition, Zduriencik has replaced bench coach Ty Van Burkleo and pitching coach Rick Adair, and released performance coach Steve Hecht from his contract.
"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,"

Zduriencik said. "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."

Daren Brown, who has managed the Mariners AAA Tacoma Rainiers affiliate in the Pacific Coast League for the past four seasons, has been named interim manager for the remainder of the 2010 season. Roger Hansen, who had been the Mariners minor league catching coordinator, takes over as the bench coach. Carl Willis, who was the Mariners minor league pitching coordinator, takes on the responsibility of big league pitching coach.

"Daren is an experienced manager with over a decade of minor league managing experience. He is intimately familiar with our club; he was with the club in Spring Training and managed many of the players on our current roster in the minors. I believe he will do a fine job," Zduriencik said.

Brown, 43, spent the past three Septembers as a coach with the Mariners. He has extensive minor league managing experience, with a career mark of 794-691 (.535). The Rainiers are currently atop the PCL North Division with a 61-54 mark. Tacoma also won the PCL North Division Title in 2009. Brown has managed in the Mariners system since 2001: at Tacoma (2007-2010), AA San Antonio (2006), High A Inland Empire (2004-2005), A Wisconsin (2003) and High A San Bernardino (2001-2002). Brown spent the 1994-2000 seasons with the independent league Amarillo (TX) Dillas. He was the team's manager from 1998-2000, compiling a 203-77 (.725) record, and won the Texas-Louisiana League Title in 1999. Brown was the pitching coach from 1994-97, and pitched for the team from 1994-1999, compiling a 60-24 record as a starting pitcher.

Brown spent five seasons (1989-1993) pitching in the Toronto Blue Jays minor league system, reaching AA in his final two years. He finished his minor league career with a 90-49 mark. Brown graduated from Southeastern Oklahoma State in 1994. His father, Paul, pitched for the Philadelphia Phillies from 1961-63 and 1967.

New bench coach Roger Hansen spent the past eight seasons as the Mariners minor league catching coordinator. He was the Mariners bullpen coach in 1992 and, at the time, was the youngest coach in the Majors. He also spent two seasons as a roving catching instructor with the Orix Blue Wave in Japan. Hansen spent 10 seasons in the minors as a player, including three years (1987-89) bouncing between AA and AAA in the Seattle system.

New pitching coach Carl Willis was in his first season as the Mariners minor league pitching coordinator. He spent the last seven seasons (2003-2009) as the Cleveland Indians Major League pitching coach. During his tenure, the Indians staff consistently ranked among the best in the American League, including ranking in the top-six in starters ERA in six seasons. He was pitching coach for CC Sabathia (2007) and Cliff Lee (2008) during their back-to-back Cy Young Award seasons. Willis pitched the Majors during parts of 12 seasons with Detroit (1983-84), Cincinnati (1984-87), Chicago (AL, 1988-91) and Minnesota (1992-95). He was a member of two World Series winners, with the Tigers in 1984 and the Twins in 1991.

Wakamatsu, 47, was named manager of the Mariners on Nov. 19, 2008. He posted an 85-77 mark during the 2009 season. The Mariners are 42-70 this year. Van Burkleo and Adair were part of his original staff in 2009.

"We want to thank Don, Ty and Rick for their service," Zduriencik added. "We appreciate their efforts and wish them all the best in the future."

For more information, please contact the Seattle Mariners baseball information department at (206) 346-4000. More information on Seattle's roster is also available online at www.mariners.com or www.losmarineros.com.

This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.