DENVER (AP) — It's no longer Bud Black's job to steer the Colorado Rockies away from baseball infamy.
The team fired Black, the winningest manager in franchise history, after a 7-33 start that’s one of the worst in Major League Baseball history.
Colorado promoted third base coach Warren Schaeffer to be the interim manager, the team announced Sunday after a 9-3 win over San Diego. That victory wasn’t enough to save Black’s job after the Rockies lost 21-0 to the Padres on Saturday night. They also fired bench coach Mike Redmond. Hitting coach Clint Hurdle takes over as interim bench coach.
The Rockies have the worst 40-game start since the 1988 Baltimore Orioles, who were 6-34.
“Our play so far this season, especially coming off the last two seasons, has been unacceptable. Our fans deserve better, and we are capable of better,” Rockies owner, chairman and CEO Dick Monfort, said in a statement. “While we all share responsibility in how this season has played out, these changes are necessary."
Colorado is 19 1/2 games out of first place in the NL West. The Rockies have been outscored by 128 runs so far this season. The only team since 1900 with a worse run differential through 40 games was the 2023 Oakland Athletics (-144).
“We have to get better and move forward — we owe it to our fans to play better baseball,” general manager Bill Schmidt said Sunday.
On Saturday afternoon, Schmidt backed Black, saying, "Buddy’s doing a good job right now. They’re showing up for work and playing with effort.”
Hours later, the Rockies were routed by the Padres.
Schmidt said he was attempting to get everything in place Sunday morning to make the move after the game — win or lose.
“I know it took a little air out of winning the game,” said Schmidt, whose team snapped an eight-game slide.
The seventh manager in team history, Black initially found success with Colorado when he led the Rockies to back-to-back playoff appearances in 2017 and ’18. They haven’t finished with a winning record since and are coming off two straight 100-loss seasons. Colorado has a .349 winning percentage since 2023.
Black’s contract was set to expire following the season. He signed a one-year extension in October.
Black was 544-690 in nine seasons while wearing the purple pinstripes. He surpassed Hurdle last season for the team record in both games managed and wins.
The easy-going demeanor of Black seemed to be a good fit for a Rockies team relying heavily on youth. The lineup featured a nucleus of Gold Glove winners Ezequiel Tovar (currently on the injured list) and Brenton Doyle, along with the recent call-up of highly touted outfielder Zac Veen, who has since been sent back down. On the mound, they’ve promoted prized pitcher Chase Dollander, the ninth overall draft pick in 2023.
But little has gone right for Black and the Rockies. They allowed 10 or more runs in four straight games, culminating in the football-like 21-0 score Saturday.
“I love both those guys to death. I’ll be in contact with them for hopefully the rest of my life,” pitcher Kyle Freeland said of Black and Redmond. “Clearly some changes needed to be made to see if we can start turning this thing around, get going in a new direction, and get some traction.”
A team owned by Monfort and run by Schmidt didn’t make any splash moves to bolster a spiraling club. Their total payroll this season is listed at $125.5 million and is 20th in the league, according to Spotrac, a site that tracks payroll.
One reason for the Rockies’ free fall has been the health of slugger Kris Bryant, who’s struggled to stay on the field after signing a $182 million, seven-year contract ahead of the 2022 season. He’s currently on the 60-day injured list with lumbar degenerative disk disease.
Before taking over the Rockies, Black spent time in charge of San Diego. He was 649-713 in nine seasons with the Padres and was named the NL manager of the year in 2010.
In addition to his managerial stints in San Diego and Colorado, Black spent seven seasons as the pitching coach for the Angels, who made it to postseason three times and were World Series champions in 2002.
Before breaking into the managerial ranks, Black spent parts of 15 seasons on the mound after the left-hander was picked by Seattle in the 17th round of the 1979 draft. He spent time with the Mariners (1981), Kansas City (1982-88), Cleveland (1988-90, 1995), Toronto (1990) and San Francisco (1991-94). He finished 121-116 with a 3.84 ERA over 398 games.
Black was with the Royals when they won the 1985 World Series, making one start and a relief appearance against St. Louis.
Schaeffer will make his first appearance as interim manager Monday in Arlington, Texas, against the Rangers. He's been Colorado's third base and infield coach since the 2023 season. Prior to joining the big league team, he spent 10 seasons as a manager and coach in the Rockies' minor league system. He most recently managed Triple-A Albuquerque in the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
“I believe that Warren is the right person to lead us forward for the remainder of this season, develop our young talent at the major league level and get our club back to playing a better brand of baseball,” Schmidt said.
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AP Baseball Writer Noah Trister contributed to this report.
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Pat Graham, The Associated Press
