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The Chicago White Sox announced Thursday that they have fired manager Pedro Grifol and named former All-Star outfielder Grady Sizemore as his interim replacement. The White Sox also fired bench coach Charlie Montoyo, third base coach Eddie Rodriguez and assistant hitting coach Mike Tosar.
The White Sox tied a dubious American League record this month with a 21-game losing streak (tying the Baltimore Orioles 21-game losing streak in 1988); and they hold MLB’s worst record (28-89) under Grifol this season. While Chicago snapped their losing streak with a 5-1 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday in Oakland, Calif, they went on to lose against the A’s on Wednesday at Oakland Coliseum.
White Sox general manager Chris Getz said in a news release: “As we all recognize, our team’s performance this season has been disappointing on many levels. Despite the on-field struggles and lack of success, we appreciate the effort and professionalism Pedro and the staff brought to the ballpark every day. These two seasons have been very challenging. Unfortunately, the results were not there, and a change is necessary as we look to our future and the development of a new energy around the team.”
Grifol, 54, was hired in November 2022 after Tony La Russa stepped down for health reasons. Grifol led the White Sox to a 61-101 (.377) record in his first season as an MLB manager, having previously worked as an assistant hitting coach, catching instructor and bench coach for the Kansas City Royals.
The White Sox sit in last place in the American League Central; their .239 winning percentage is worse than the 1962 New York Mets (.250) and 2003 Detroit Tigers (.265), who set the respective MLB single-season marks for the most (120) and second-most (119) losses in history. Chicago are now headed toward their sixth 100-loss season, which would be the first time in franchise history it has occurred in consecutive years.
Interim manager Sizemore, 42, is a three-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove-winning center fielder who played parts of 10 seasons in the majors with Cleveland, Philadelphia, Tampa Bay and Boston. He joined Chicago’s coaching staff earlier this year after serving as a minor-league instructor with the Guardians and a minor-league coach with the Diamondbacks.
The White Sox also named Doug Sisson as bench coach, Justin Jirschele as third base coach and Mike Gellinger as assistant hitting coach for the remainder of the season.
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