- Jan 5, 2004
- 16,407
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he Florida Marlins have fired manager Fredi Gonzalez, bench coach Carlos Tosca and hitting coach Jim Presley, the team said Wednesday.
The team said Edwin Rodriguez had been named interim manager, with Brandon Hyde and John Mallee the interim bench and hitting coaches, respectively.
The Palm Beach Post first reported the firing.
Gonzalez was in his fourth season as the Marlins' manager. He had a 276-279 record in three-plus seasons, with last year's 87-75 second-place finish his best result.
The Marlins are 34-36 and in fourth place in the National League East, 7½ games out of first. Team owner Jeffrey Loria said during spring training that he expected his team to make the playoffs. "We've got all the ammunition we need," he said at the time.
Earlier this season, Gonzalez clashed with the team's best player, shortstop Hanley Ramirez, when Ramirez didn't hustle after a booted ball and then criticized his manager to the media. It appeared at the time that the other Marlins players and team management were supporting Gonzalez.
"I, along with all our fans, am grateful for Fredi's contributions. At the same time, we can't let personal feelings get in the way of taking steps that we believe are necessary to improve our ballclub," Loria said in a team statement announcing the news.
"Decisions on individual personnel cannot supercede our overall goal, which is to win. We believe we can do better and be better. We owe it to our fans to put this team in the best possible position to win. Everyone knows how I feel about winning. That's the reason we're making this change," Loria said.
Rodriguez has spent the past 1½ years managing the Marlins' Triple-A affiliate in New Orleans.
