APReading: 3 min.
With 3 games left in the season, San Francisco Giants fire manager Gabe Kapler has a record of 295-248 in four seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO — Earlier this month, the San Francisco Giants were still in contention for a playoff spot. But they squandered several crucial chances, and head of football operations Farhan Zaidi decided it was time to part ways with manager Gabe Kapler.
San Francisco fired Kapler on Friday, three days before the season ended in its first managerial change of 2023, eliminating the team from the possibility of making the postseason for the second year in a row.
“As a team, as a group, we’ve played our worst baseball at the most important time,” Zaidi said.
San Francisco is 78-81 in the season finale against the defending National League West champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
Kapler, 48, led the Giants to a 295-248 record in four seasons, but his only year with a positive record was in 2021, when San Francisco set a franchise record with 107 wins to become the division champion.
The Giants lost to the Dodgers in the National League Division Series that year and went 81–81 the following season.
“After making this recommendation to the owners and getting their approval, I met Gabe today to inform him of our decision,” Zaidi said. “He is dedicated and passionate in his efforts to improve the performance of the San Francisco Giants on the field, and I have the utmost respect for him as a colleague and friend.”
Zaidi advocated and accepted his own responsibility for the problems. His future is also uncertain, with one year left on his contract.
“Going into that last tour, still fighting for the wild card and controlling our destiny, and then playing like we did … it was tough for everyone,” Zidi admitted. “It was hard for the players to go through, for the fans to see it and for us in the organization. In some ways, it really reinforced our view that we needed to make tough decisions and think about things differently.
Kapler left Oracle Park on Friday afternoon. He declined to discuss his tenure with the Giants when reached via text message.
The sacking marked the first managerial change in 2023. Bench coach Kai Correa will lead the team on an interim basis for the final three games.
Kapler’s first season with San Francisco was in 2020, which featured a shortened schedule due to the pandemic. He previously managed the Philadelphia Phillies, with whom he had a 161-163 record.