The Seattle Mariners officially cut ties with manager Scott Servais on Thursday with just over five weeks remaining in the 2024 MLB season.
Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto revealed why he decided to move on from Servais and hire Dan Wilson as his replacement in a statement filed Thursday afternoon.
"We believe that we need a new voice in the clubhouse," Dipoto said in a statement. "Dan knows our team and has been a key member of our organization working with players at every level over the past 11 years. He is well respected within and outside our clubhouse, and we are confident that he'll do a great job in leading our group over the final six weeks of the season and moving forward."
President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto announced today that Dan Wilson has been named as the team’s new field manager.
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) August 22, 2024
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Seattle started the season red-hot, building a big lead in the AL West division that peaked at 10 games on June 18. Since then, however, the Mariners have stumbled to a 20–33 slump—12–18 since the All-Star break—and enter Thursday's slate of games five games behind the Houston Astros.
Servais's tenure in the Pacific Northwest ends after eight-plus seasons. He logged 680 wins and a .514 winning percentage over those years, which rank second in Mariners history behind three-time Manager of the Year Lou Piniella.
Servais led the Mariners to the 2022 MLB playoffs, ending the franchise's 21-year postseason drough that dated back to '01.
"I do want to thank Scott for all his efforts here in Seattle over the past nine seasons," Dipoto said. "He has poured his passion into the team and our community, and I know I speak for the entire Mariners organization in thanking him for his hard work."
After a busy off day Thursday, the Mariners will return to the field Friday to begin a three-game series against the San Francisco Giants at T-Mobile Park.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jerry Dipoto Explains Why Mariners Fired Scott Servais in Team Statement.
