On Monday night, the Los Angeles Angels lost their 12th game in a row, falling to 27-29 on the season. Manager Joe Maddon got into a testy exchange with a reporter afterward about whether or not he thinks the team is competing.
Here was an interesting exchange I had with Joe Maddon after the game today: pic.twitter.com/PswKyPcTIJ
— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) June 7, 2022
Turns out, it’s not his problem anymore because the Angels fired Maddon on Tuesday. Phil Nevin, who had been the third-base coach this season, was named interim manager.
The Angels have relieved Joe Maddon of his duties as Angels Manager today. pic.twitter.com/oiyzSpQSxV
— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) June 7, 2022
The Angels were 24-13 and in first place on May 15. However, they’ve gone 3-16 since all while having two of Major League Baseball’s best players on their roster in Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout.
It has become commonplace for baseball fans to wonder how the Angels can have so much talent but never seem to go far. This season so far has encapsulated the idea put forth in last year’s viral tweet.
every time I see an Angels highlight it's like "Mike Trout hit three homes runs and raised his average to .528 while Shohei Ohtani did something that hasn't been done since 'Tungsten Arm' O'Doyle of the 1921 Akron Groomsmen, as the Tigers defeated the Angels 8-3"
— ℳatt (@matttomic) May 18, 2021
While Maddon might be best known for managing the Chicago Cubs to their first World Series title in 108 years in 2016, he has spent most of his career with the Angels. He spent two stints as interim manager in 1996 and 1999 and was bench coach under Mike Scioscia in 2002 when they won the World Series.
Since becoming the full-time manager in 2020, the Angels are 130-148, far below the expectations given the roster he was working with. Hired to get the team back to the playoffs for the first time since 2014, he was unable to make that happen.
Maddon has a 1,382-1,216 career managerial record over 19 total seasons.
The news that Maddon had been relieved of his duties wasn’t a huge surprise to many in the MLB world but it certainly got people talking about him, his legacy, and what’s next for the Angels.
12 consecutive losses will do that. https://t.co/kMmGhhmxo9
— Dan Clark (@DanClarkSports) June 7, 2022
I think Joe was at one point one of the very best managers. I think he did a great job that year too, particularly with the young players. He let Javy be Javy, kept the vibes strong, played fine percentages, etc.
But it can wear off & even his own energy seems to have as well. https://t.co/7qzMTFfwly
— Matt Clapp (@TheBlogfines) June 7, 2022
Quick lesson here. If you manage a team that boasts 2 of the top 3 candidates for MVP try not to lose 12 games in a row. https://t.co/n98i0u4g8J
— Cousin Sal (@TheCousinSal) June 7, 2022
You mean a team that hired a veteran manager with a ring to get a team over the top but is underachieving decided to move on from said manager? Huh. https://t.co/3n4pldfEKF
— Jim Owczarski (@JimOwczarski) June 7, 2022
THAT'll teach Joe Maddon to only let his team play at precisely the overall win-loss record that most of the projections had them at in the preseason based on the team's talent.
— Dan Szymborski (@DSzymborski) June 7, 2022
Had to be done. And nice to see a fellow @csuf Titan get his shot. https://t.co/Ts5Es3tcb5
— Todd Harmonson (@tharmonson) June 7, 2022
[Angels]
