The Seattle Mariners argued they needed to change their rhetoric when they decided to fire manager Scott Servais amid the team's recent slump, but the former manager says he was never personally informed of the decision by the team until he found out about it on his cell phone.
The Mariners decided to fire Servais on Thursday after losing eight of their last nine games despite holding a commanding lead in the American League West in June.
However, according to the Seattle Times, Servais learned of his fate at X after being notified by The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.
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Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais leaves the field after making a pitching change during a game against the Guardians at Progressive Field on June 18, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
The notice came less than 90 minutes before Servais was scheduled to meet with Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto.
“Finding out through an alert on my phone was certainly one of the hardest parts,” Servais told The Seattle Times. “The reality of what was going to happen in the next few hours. When you've been part of an organization for nine years, you feel like you're part of a family. It was shocking to find out that way, but that's what happened. I'm not going to say it didn't happen. That's definitely how it happened.”
Rosenthal even stated in “Foul Territory” that it was “unpleasant” that Servais was informed of his fate from one of his reports.
Mariners explain reason for firing manager Scott Servais: 'We needed a new voice'
Dipoto, along with Servais, fired hitting coach Jarrett DeHart, and said he was disappointed the longtime manager found out.
“This was one of the worst days of my professional life, but the worst part was the fact that Scott and Jarrett found out through a news channel crawl,” Dipoto told reporters on Thursday. “That was a huge blow to me and I know it was a huge blow to them.”
When Servais was fired, the Mariners were 64-64 after being swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Seattle is 65-65 this season and is 4.5 games out of first place in the AL West and 7.5 games out of the AL Wild Card race.
Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais walks onto the field for the national anthem before a game against the White Sox on July 29, 2024 at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago. (Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images)
On June 10, Seattle was 10 games up in first place in the AL West, but has since gone 21-34, while the Houston Astros have bounced back after a terrible start.
Servais knew his chances of a 10th season with the Mariners would be in jeopardy if the team didn't make the postseason, but he didn't expect to have to make a decision in the middle of that push.
“I knew if we hadn't made the playoffs, there would have been a time at the end of the year to reflect on where the team was and where I was at going forward,” Servais explained. “I was hopeful that we would have a chance to finish the year off. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.”
“Where we were in mid-June and where we are today, it's hard to believe, actually, how quickly it all fell apart for us,” Dipoto said at the time of his firing, via ESPN.
Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais reacts during a Tampa Bay Rays game at Tropicana Field on June 24, 2024 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
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“We all decided that this was what the organization needed. We needed to do something to create a different theme, a different atmosphere in the clubhouse. I'm not blaming Scott here at all. I can't praise him enough for what he's done here, but I think we needed a new voice.”
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