MLB Insider 'Surprised' on How Former Seattle Mariners Manager Found Out He Was Fired
The Seattle Mariners are coming off one of the most eventful days in team history on Thursday. And they didn't even play a game.
The Mariners fired nine-year manager Scott Servais and hired former catcher and team Hall of Famer Dan Wilson in his stead.
The news of Servais' firing was first reported by the Athletic's Ken Rosenthal early in the morning on Thursday. Rosenthal had previously published a story on Wednesday that included a quote from Seattle President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto saying that "it was in consideration" for the Mariners to move on from Servais.
Rosenthal's report that Servais would be fired was shared quickly across various news outlets. And it was from that circulation that Servais found out he would be out of a job.
Dipoto expressed remorse in a news conference on Thursday that Servais, who has been teammates and has worked in several organizations with Dipoto, found out the way he did.
The nature in which Servais found out he would be fired came as a shock to Rosenthal, too.
Rosenthal was on the Foul Territory podcast on Friday and said "(He) was surprised that it came out that Scott Servais learned this from, essentially, (their) reporting."
"That was uncomfortable for me, it was awkward. I was not happy about it. Of course, I'm just a reporter. Scott is the manager that had to deal with this. And it's infinite times worse for him. That said, I just thought I was doing my job. And I went about doing my job as I normally would. And, again, it's never a good thing when the manager learns the news this way. But I was just following my process, doing what I do. And that's how it turned out, unfortunately."
"I was surprised that Scott Servais learned this from our reporting"@Ken_Rosenthal describes feeling uncomfortable that @Mariners Manager Scott Servais found out he was being fired from news reports ✍️ pic.twitter.com/A9cLwkfc1O
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) August 23, 2024
Rosenthal didn't reveal details of who his source was or how he got the news that Servais would be fired. But he clearly expressed remorse on how the situation unraveled.
It's an unfortunate situation all the way around how Servais found out about the news, especially given the nine years he spent with the team. But the Mariners are now turned toward the future with Wilson manning the charge.
Related Stories on Seattle Mariners
FORMER MARINERS MANAGER COMMENTS ON FIRING: Nine-year Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais released a statement on the heels of the organization's decision to fire him on Thursday. CLICK HERE
WHERE DOES SERVAIS STAND IN TEAM HISTORY?: The Seattle Mariners fired nine-year manager Scott Servais on Thursday on the heels of a historic collapse over the last two months; Servais was still one of the most successful managers in Seattle history. CLICK HERE
DIPOTO COMMENTS ON SERVAIS' FIRING: Seattle Mariners President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto commented on the firing of nine-year manager Scott Servais during a news conference on Thursday. CLICK HERE
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