San Diego Padres hire Pat Murphy as interim manager

The San Diego Padres have hired Pat Murphy as the team's interim manager.

The San Diego Padres have hired Pat Murphy as the team's interim manager, the team announced Tuesday.

On Wednesday, the Padres fired manager Bud Black, who had been with the team since 2007.

Murphy had managed the Padres' Triple-A affiliate in El Paso, Texas. According to the Associated Press, he interviewed for the job, along with bench coach Dave Roberts, and "other internal candidates."

In a statement, Padres general manager A.J. Preller said, "Murphy's 30 years of experience coaching and managing, and his success at every level, stood out to me as I came to this decision. His leadership ability, his respect in the clubhouse and his familiarity with our system will make this transition a smooth one for our players and coaching staff."

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Entering Tuesday, the Padres were in fourth place in the National League West with a record of 32–34. Though they are just six games back of the division lead, the Padres entered the season with high expectations after signing pitcher James Shields and adding outfielders Matt Kemp, Wil Myers and Justin Upton, third baseman Will Middlebrooks and catcher Derek Norris.

San Diego will continue their three-game series against the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday afternoon.