(Seattle) The Seattle Mariners fired manager Scott Servais on Thursday as the team struggles to keep its footing in the standings. Former catcher Dan Wilson will take over.
The decision comes in Servais’ ninth season at the helm. Hitting coach Jarret DeHart was also let go.
“We felt we needed a new voice in the dugout,” executive vice president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said. “Dan knows our team and has been a key member of our organization working with players at multiple levels over the last 11 years.”
The Mariners are coming off a disastrous 1-8 road trip that brought their overall record to 64-64 this season. The Washington State club was 13 games over .500 in mid-June.
Heading into Thursday’s MLB games, the Mariners were seven and a half games out of the American League draft spot and five games behind the Houston Astros for first place in the Western Conference.
But nothing about the way the Mariners have played since blowing their 10-game lead atop the division on June 18 suggested a turnaround with five weeks left in the regular season.
Servais arrived in Seattle ahead of the 2016 season alongside Dipoto. He went 680-642 during his time with the team, going through a major rebuild midway through his tenure.
He is the longest-tenured manager in team history behind Lou Piniella.