An emotional season for Marlins manager Skip Schumaker has officially come to an end, and so has his tenure in Miami.
On Friday, before a 15-5 victory over the the Toronto Blue Jays, Schumaker informed the club that his grandmother had passed away and he would miss the remainder of the season to be with his family in Southern California. He also told players he would not return as their manager in 2025, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN.
“It meant a lot,” Schumaker said of his players’ reaction to the news, via MLB.com. “It was emotional in there when we talked, when I addressed the team. It was emotional because you care so much, and I think the players know if it’s bullcrap or not by how you speak and how you address people. They know there’s no fluff. They know that we all care, and that’s what you signed up for. You only care if there’s really good dudes in that clubhouse, and there are. There are some really good people inside that clubhouse.
“The game is the game. The stuff that you build during a season or after the season and for years to come is what matters the most. So I’ll keep in contact with all these guys because of what they did to me and for me just in today’s meeting. We’re really grateful for all the relationships that we built throughout the couple years.”
It’s been a tough ride for Schumaker over the past two years, both personally and professionally.
In 2023, reports surfaced about Schumaker’s frustration with ownership following the resignation of general manager Kim Ng. Then, earlier this year, the club quietly voided his 2025 option.
Away from the team, things were worse. Schumaker twice traveled home during spring training to be with his ailing father who later passed away. The manager wore No. 45 during the season opener to honor him. Now, he’s lost his grandmother as well.
Despite his own hardships, Schumaker, who won National League Manager of the Year in 2023, praised his players and coaches and promised to remain in contact them for the remainder of his life.
“What I’ll remember most is we kept in our processes,” Skip Schumaker said. “The coaching staff, if you walk in there, you would never know that we had lost 100 games the way that they attack it and go about it. You would never know it walking in that clubhouse, the way each player goes about their business, and still tries to win every single game.”
Bench coach Luis Urueta will serve as Miami’s interim manager for the final two games of the season.
