Buck Showalter will not return as the New York Mets' manager in 2024, an expected outcome after the team that began this season with the highest payroll in Major League Baseball history failed to reach the playoffs.
Showalter told reporters of the team's decision prior to Sunday's season finale, a 9-1 home loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. The Mets released a statement following Showalter's announcement confirming their plans.
“We are heading in a new direction, with a new President of Baseball Operations and we let Buck know we’ll be parting ways. We will begin the search for a new manager immediately,” Mets owner Steve Cohen said in the statement.
The move was widely expected after the Mets fell out of playoff contention before the All-Star break and finished with a 74-87 record, a steep decline from the 101 wins the team achieved in Showalter's first season in 2022.
New York entered this season among the National League favourites after Cohen increased the payroll to a record $355 million as the Mets brought in three-time American League Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander and star Japanese picher Kodai Senga, as well as re-signing center fielder Brandon Nimmo and closer Edwin Diaz to big contracts.
The Mets hovered around .500 for the first two months, however, before losing 19 of 26 games in June to drop further in the standings. That led to management's decision to become sellers at the Aug. 1 trade deadline and jettison off several prominent players, most notably Verlander and fellow ace Max Scherzer.
Showalter's fate was further sealed when the Mets hired former Milwaukee Brewers general manager David Stearns as vice president of baseball operations in September.
“I was honored to get a chance to manage a second New York team," said Showalter, whose 22-year tenure as a major league manager began with the crosstown rival Yankees in 1992. "I’m proud of what the Mets did. We won close to 180 games in two years. Especially last year, as much fun as I’ve ever had in the game. It reminded me why I’ve always loved this kind of work."
Cohen also praised Showalter's work in the statement announcing the change.
“Buck is a generational manager, and we value what he has done for our team, including leading us to a 101 win season and postseason berth last year." he said. "The commitment and heart that Buck brings to the game will be felt by our organization for years to come. We wish Buck all the best in the next chapter of his career.”
The Mets were the fifth team the 67-year-old Showalter managed during his lengthy career, which also included stops with the Yankees (1992-95), Arizona Diamondbacks (1998-2000), Texas Rangers (2003-06) and Baltimore Orioles (2010-18).
Four of those teams reached the playoffs, though Showalter never guided one to a World Series despite making six total trips to the postseason and winning four Manager of the Year awards.
Showalter's overall managerial record stands at 1,726-1,665, ranking him 19th in MLB history in wins.
MLB: Giants rally again for historic comeback
Patrick Bailey hit a go-ahead grand slam and third baseman Matt Chapman made a game-saving defensive gem as the San Francisco Giants overcame another big deficit to beat the reeling New York Mets, 8-7 on Friday.
The Giants rallied from a 6-2 hole in the eighth to join the 1932 St. Louis Cardinals as the only teams since 1900 to win three straight road games in which they trailed by at least four runs.
Just two other teams have accomplished the feat at home: the 1999 Florida Marlins and the 1961 Boston Red Sox.
Jorge Soler and Mike Yastrzemski also homered for the Giants, who have won seven of eight to reach .500 for the first time since they were 2-2 on March 31.
Thairo Estrada’s RBI double with two outs in the eighth drew San Francisco within 6-3 and Chapman walked to load the bases before Bailey took Reed Garrett deep for his first career grand slam.
The Mets rallied in the bottom of the ninth trailing 8-6 and got an RBI single from Francisco Lindor before loading the bases with one out. But J.D. Martinez struck out and Chapman fielded Mark Vientos’ grounder barehanded on a do-or-die play and fired off balance to first, where LaMonte Wade Jr. made a difficult pick of an in-between hop for the final out.
The Mets have lost 11 of 14 to drop to 21-29, their worst 50-game start since 2013.
Lugo wins again as Royals stay hot
Seth Lugo became the American League’s first eight-game winner and Bobby Witt Jr. and Michael Massey homered to lead the Kansas City Royals to their seventh straight win, 8-1 over the Tampa Bay Rays.
Lugo limited the Rays to one run on four hits to lower his AL-best ERA from 1.79 to 1.74. Philadelphia’s Ranger Suarez leads the majors with nine victories.
The Royals (33-19) moved a season-best 14 games over .500. They were 15-37 after 52 games last season and didn’t reach 33 wins until Aug. 1.
Tampa Bay has scored 10 runs during a season-high five-game losing streak.
Massey’s three-run shot off Tyler Alexander in the fifth gave Kansas City a 5-1 lead, but he left an inning later with lower back tightness.
Streaking Guardians hit 3 straight home runs
Jose Ramirez went deep twice and started a run of three consecutive homers in the fourth inning as the Cleveland Guardians pushed their winning streak to seven with a 10-4 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.
Ramirez belted two-run shots in the third and fourth innings for his 24th multihomer game and first since July 30 against the White Sox. Ramirez’s four RBIs gave him a major league-leading 49.
Josh Naylor and David Fry also went deep in the fourth as the Guardians became the first team this season to go back-to-back-to-back.
Luis Rengifo, Jo Adell and Logan O’Hoppe homered for the Angels, who dropped to 6-17 at home.
MLB: Sizzling Phillies match club's best 35-game stretch
The Philadelphia Phillies matched the best 35-game span in franchise history with a 5-2 victory over the Texas Rangers on Thursday behind seven strong innings from Zach Wheeler.
The major league-leading Phillies have won seven straight and are 29-6 over their past 35 games, a stretch the franchise hadn’t accomplished since 1892.
Philadelphia completed its seventh series sweep of the season and improved to 17-3 in May. The Phillies either split or won each of their last 15 series, the longest span since a 19-series stretch in 1984.
Wheeler allowed two runs on five hits with two walks and five strikeouts to win his sixth consecutive decision.
Phillies starters have gone at least seven innings in 18 starts this year, the most in baseball.
J.T. Realmuto homered for the second straight day and Nick Castellanos also went deep as the Phillies moved to 15-3 since they lost two-time All-Star shortstop Trea Turner to a left hamstring injury.
Defending World Series champion Texas has lost four straight and 10 of 12 to drop a season-high three games under .500.
Athletics stun Rockies with five-run 11th
Tyler Soderstrom walked with the bases loaded to cap a five-run 11th inning and the Oakland Athletics rallied for a stunning 10-9 win over the Colorado Rockies.
After the Rockies scored four in the top of the 11th, Oakland opened the bottom half with a double, single and two-run homer by JJ Bleday to tie it at 9. Colorado loaded the bases on an intentional walk to Kyle McCann before Peter Lambert walked Soderstrom to force in the winning run.
J.D. Davis and Daz Cameron homered for the A’s, who trailed 4-0 heading to the bottom of the seventh.
Oakland won its fourth game when trailing after eight innings, tied with Miami for most in the majors.
Giants rally past Pirates again
Matt Chapman hit a three-run homer during an eighth-inning rally and the San Francisco Giants spoiled a solid start by rookie Paul Skenes in a 7-6 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Giants overcame a five-run deficit in Wednesday’s extra-inning win and trailed 6-2 after seven innings in this one before getting going against Pittsburgh’s struggling bullpen.
Chapman homered for the third straight game after LaMonte Wade Jr. and Thairo Estrada opened the eighth with singles. After Jorge Soler doubled and scored on pinch-hitter Wilmer Flores’ single, Brett Wisely delivered a go-ahead hit off Aroldis Chapman later in the inning to put the Giants on top 7-6.
San Francisco won consecutive games in which it trailed by at least four runs for the first time since 1998.
Joey Bart staked Pittsburgh to a 5-1 lead with his fourth career grand slam in the fourth. He also doubled before being ejected by first base umpire Alex Tossi after grounding out to end the eighth.
Skenes was excellent for the second straight start, allowing one run and six hits in six innings.
MLB: Red-hot Phillies beat Rangers for club's best 50-game start
Edmundo Sosa hit a three-run homer and Bryce Harper and J.T. Realmuto had solo shots as the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Texas Rangers 11-4 for the best 50-game start in franchise history on Wednesday.
Realmuto finished with three RBIs and Alec Bohm had a two-run double to extend the lead to 10-3 in the sixth inning. He is tied for the National League lead with 46 RBIs.
The major league-leading Phillies (36-14) are just the 26th team in NL history to win at least 36 of their first 50 games played. The 1988 Atlanta Braves were the last team to get off to such a start. Only 17 teams in AL history have reached that mark. The last was the 2001 Seattle Mariners, who went on to 116 wins.
Philadelphia has won five straight and 17 of its last 20 games overall and 17 of 19 at home.
Realmuto’s home run in the third snapped a 2-2 tie and his two-run single in the sixth made it 8-3.
Corey Seager and Leody Taveras homered for the defending World Series champion Rangers, who have lost four straight and nine of 11 to drop two games under .500.
Streaking Indians beat Mets
Johnathan Rodriguez drove in the go-ahead run with his first major league hit and the Cleveland Guardians rallied for their sixth consecutive win, 6-3 over the New York Mets.
Rodriguez, playing in his second game since being recalled from Triple-A Columbus two days earlier, snapped a 3-3 tie in the seventh inning with a grounder through the right side of the infield.
Cleveland, which trailed 3-0 heading into the sixth, moved into a tie for the second-best record in the majors at 33-17.
Jose Ramirez and Kyle Manzardo had RBI doubles in the eighth after Andres Gimenez hit a tying, three-run homer in the sixth off starter Jose Quintana.
The Mets got home runs from Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil and Harrison Bader but have lost eight of 10 to fall to a season-high seven games under .500 (21-28).
Royals’ Ragans dominates Tigers
Cole Ragans pitched one-hit ball over six innings and struck out a career-high 12 to lead the Kansas City Royals to their sixth straight win, 8-3 over the Detroit Tigers.
Ragans walked three but held the Tigers hitless until Riley Greene’s two-out single in the sixth to win for the fourth time in five decisions.
Freddy Fermin drove in three runs, Bobby Witt Jr. added two hits and two RBIs and Nelson Velazquez homered as the Royals won their first series against the Tigers since September 2002. It was Kansas City’s first sweep of Detroit since July 2021.
Tarik Skubal allowed four runs on six hits over five innings to end his 14-game unbeaten streak dating to Aug. 29.
Detroit has lost four straight to fall a season-worst three games under .500.
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