Padres fire pitching coach Larry Rothschild

The San Diego Padres have made a significant change to their coaching staff as they look to remain in the playoff hunt.

On Monday, the Padres announced that they have fired pitching coach Larry Rothschild. The team thanked Rothschild for his work over the past two seasons.

The #Padres have dismissed pitching coach Larry Rothschild: pic.twitter.com/hnjTqCiPpq

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) August 23, 2021

The Padres rank fourth in the National League with a 3.76 team ERA. They have 1,204 strikeouts as a staff, which is third in the NL. However, San Diego has lost nine of its last 11 games and fell out of the second Wild Card spot over the weekend. The Padres are now preparing for a series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have the second-best record in baseball.

Rothschild, 67, has been a coach in the majors for more than 30 years. He served as the New York Yankees’ pitching coach from 2011-2019 before he was fired in part because he reportedly was not adjusting to “new-age” pitching strategies. It’s unclear if the Padres had similar issues with Rothschild, but it is somewhat surprising that they made such a significant change with five weeks remaining in the season.