Rene Lachemann, the only manager the expansion Florida Marlins have ever had, was fired Sunday.
Lachemann, 51, became the first major league manager to be fired this season. Third-base coach Cookie Rojas, manager of the California Angels in 1988, was chosen by general manager Dave Dombrowski as the interim skipper."When you don't win and you don't execute, the manager goes. It's as simple as that,' Lachemann said. "That's part of the territory, and that's exactly what's happened here."
Whether it was the change or not, the Marlins went out and snapped a seven-game losing streak, beating the Philadelphia Phillies 7-4 in 10 innings Sunday afternoon. Their 40-47 record leaves them 14 games behind NL East-leading Atlanta.
"We haven't played well on a consistent basis really for all year," Dombrowski said. "We haven't executed well and we haven't performed offensively on a consistent basis all year."
The Marlins, whose .249 batting average is the third-worst in the NL, also fired batting coach Jose Morales.
"A week ago today, we were one game under .500, and I got a note from the All-Star manager, Bobby Cox saying, `Way to go, you guys are playing hard,"' Lachemann said. "Seven games later, we're eight games under .500."
Dombrowski said Rojas, 57, would manage the Marlins against the Phillies on Sunday.
Club officials said they hoped to choose a new manager before the Marlins start the second half of the season Thursday in Atlanta. Rojas said he has no interest in managing permanently, but would like to stay on as third-base coach.
"They (the players) were very sorry this happened," Rojas said. "Maybe this will turn it around."
Pitcher John Burkett said the players were shocked at the change, even though they've performed poorly.
"I've never been on a team that had it happen, so it's a little different," Burkett said. "You always think it's a possibility, but it's something you don't think about when you go on the field."
Burkett said he thought the Marlins "will respond well" to the move. "I think it's going to shake some people up."
Lachemann, who had previous managerial stints with Seattle and Milwaukee, was hired on Oct. 23, 1992. His contract was extended in 1994 to run through 1997. He had a 221-285 record with Florida and a 428-559 record overall.
"I leave here knowing I gave this organization my best. I gave everything I possibly could," he said. "I tried to do the things that I knew were right. We worked hard, we prepared this club the best we possibly could."
Lachemann said he tried a number of approaches to get his underachieving team to play better.
"We've told them, we've told them, we've told them," he said. "I've tried patting them on the back, cursing, screaming at them. I've tried everything I know, but it didn't work out."
Lachemann's brother, Marcel, a former Marlins pitching coach, is manager of the California Angels. They were the only brothers who managed in the big leagues in the modern era.