The Pittsburgh Pirates are making a managerial change.
The Pirates have elected to fire manager Clint Hurdle, as first reported by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. General manager Neal Huntington will remain with the team.
#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 spent nine years as Pittsburgh’s manager, where he’s gone 735-720 and made the playoffs three times after nearly two decades in the wilderness. However, the team’s last playoff appearance came in 2015, and a 25-47 second half likely sealed the manager’s fate. Hurdle has also been criticized for his team’s willingness to pitch inside, which has been construed as headhunting by some opponents.
Hurdle had openly said he had been told he’d return for 2020. Either he wasn’t telling the truth or something changed quickly down the stretch.
