An ominous 3:30 p.m. press conference, announced just a half-hour prior, brought shocking news to fans of the Philadelphia Phillies. Alongside, general manager Ruben Amaro. Jr and acting team president Pat Gillick, Ryne Sandberg announced that he will be resigning as manager of the team.
Anticipating a change in power within the organization, particularly with the President role and the rumored hire of Andy MacPhail, Sandberg decided that now was the right time to step down, saying that he does not 'want to be in the way of anything happening, and the progress moving forward.'
Amaro Jr. stated that he was 'disappointed', and followed by saying that he takes his 'level of responsibility for things that are happening on the field as well'. Despite his shock, the Phillies' general manager said he 'completely understands and respects the decision that [Sandberg] has made.'
Ryne Sandberg's MLB Managerial Record
Sandberg has not decided 'at all' whether or not he will like to manage, or continue his baseball career in any capacity, elsewhere.
Rob Maaddi of The Associated Press writes:
The 55-year-old is a Hall of Fame second baseman, having played 15 seasons with the Cubs and one with the Phillies. Philadelphia was his first management job.
Philadelphia had low expectations this season, with little to no chance of contending and big challenges surrounding moving high priced players like pitcher Cole Hamels and first baseman Ryan Howard.
One of the major reasons for Sandberg's resignation was the amount of losses that piled on and the effect that it had on him.
"The accumulation of losses was something that I take responsibility for, and something that really took a toll on me."
Taking over for Sandberg will be Pete Mackanin, who previously served as the team's third base coach.
Mackanin has been asked to manage this homestand, according to Ryan Lawrence of The Philadelphia Daily News. It is not yet known if Mackanin will continue under his new title of Interim Manager for the rest of the season, however.
The new Phillies' manager had the following to say regarding Sandberg's departure:
"If you can't play for a guy as even keel as (Ryno), you can't play for anybody. … He demanded you to do your job. … But there's only so much you can do when you don't have the talent of other teams."
Matt Rappa (@mattrappa) is managing editor of Philliedelphia.com.
