SF Giants fire manager Gabe Kapler before final series
The SF Giants have relieved manager Gabe Kapler of his duties before the final series of the season, the team announced on Friday afternoon. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle was the first to report the news.
The SF Giants fired Gabe Kapler after four seasons managing in San Francisco.
Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports
Kapler’s dismissal marks the end of a rollercoaster four-year tenure that featured everything from a franchise-best 107-win campaign in 2021 –– which earned him National League Manager of the Year honors –– paired with straight consecutive disappointing seasons near the .500 mark.
The Giants haven’t fired a manager since Jim Davenport was canned in favor of Roger Craig with 18 games remaining in the 1985 season.
Bench coach Kai Correa has been named the interim manager for the final three games against the Los Angeles Dodgers starting Friday night.
“After making this recommendation to ownership and receiving their approval, I met with Gabe today to inform him of our decision," said Giants President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi in a statement. "In his tenure as Giants manager, Gabe led our team through an unprecedented pandemic in 2020 and a franchise-record 107 wins and postseason berth in 2021. He has been dedicated and passionate in his efforts to improve the on-field performance of the San Francisco Giants and I have tremendous respect for him as a colleague and friend."
Zaidi –– who met with the media at 3:30 p.m. on Friday –– wished Kapler the best of luck on his future endeavors.
"I don’t have one negative thing to say about Gabe Kapler," Zaidi said during his news conference. "We reached some really high highs during his tenure here … we’re looking for new and different leadership in our clubhouse, a different dynamic there.”
According to Slusser, there was a “growing chorus” of criticism that became too much of a distraction, leading to little reason to let Kapler continue to answer questions regarding the recent rumors.
Kapler, 48, was hired by the Giants after the 2019 season to replace Bruce Bochy, who had stepped down for a brief hiatus. In four seasons with the Giants, Kapler finished with a 295-248 record.
