Mariners manager Mike Hargrove resigns

SEATTLE (TICKER) —Seattle Mariners manager Mike Hargrove resigned in stunning fashion Sunday afternoon.

Hargrove will officially leave his post with the Mariners following Sunday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays.

The announcement certainly came at a strange time for the Mariners, who entered Sunday with a seven-game winning streak.

After posting losing records in each of the past three seasons, Seattle has been a pleasant surprise this season, going 44-33 and trailing the first-place Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (50-31) by four games in the American League West Division.

But it apparently was not enough for the 57-year-old Hargrove, who cited a lack of enthusiasm as one of the primary reasons for his decision.

“Over the past several weeks, I have come to the realization that to be fair to myself and the team, I cannot continue to do this job if my passion has begun to fade,” Hargrove said in a written statement.

Hargrove owns a career record of 1,187-1,173 in parts of 16 seasons with the Mariners, Baltimore Orioles and Cleveland Indians. He enters Sunday’s contest sixth in wins among active managers, trailing only Tony LaRussa, Bobby Cox, Joe Torre, Lou Piniella and Jim Leyland.

Hargrove, who recorded 191 of those wins in Seattle, had nothing but words of praise for the entire Mariners organization.

“I want to stress how much I respect and love the players in the clubhouse and the coaches and staff that we have in place here,” he said. “I cannot stress enough what a tremendous place this is to work because of the people who work above me.”

Hargrove inherited a difficult situation when he signed a three-year contract with the Mariners in October 2004. The team had struggled to a 63-99 record - the franchise’s worst mark since 1983 - and failed to reach the postseason for the third straight year.

Seattle did not fare much better over the first two years of Hargrove’s tenure, combining to go 147-177. But thanks to an improving offense and a stellar young bullpen, the Mariners have won 25 of their last 37 games to thrust themselves back into postseason contention.

“Mike took over the team at a difficult point in time, taking over after the 2004 season,” Mariners general manager Bill Bavasi said. “He has been a ‘team player’ and successfully developed a group of young, inexperienced players from our farm system and incorporated several veterans into a winning team.

“As a result, we are in much better shape today than we were when Mike came to town. I would like to thank Mike for his efforts. We’re disappointed that he has decided to step down, but we respect his decision.”

The Mariners filled the managerial vacancy immediately, naming bench coach John McLaren as the 12th manager of franchise history. McLaren, 55, agreed to terms on a contract for the remainder of the season.

“I believe that (McLaren) provides us with an opportunity to have as seamless a transition as possible,” Bavasi said. “He knows the club and has been intimately involved in every decision we’ve made this season. We had a chance to see him run the club for a few days earlier this season, and I have every confidence that he will help us achieve the goals we’ve set.”

McLaren has spent parts of 11 seasons with the Mariners and 21 campaigns as a coach in the majors. He managed Seattle to a pair of wins earlier this month while Hargrove left the team to attend him daughter’s high school graduation.

“I am really looking forward to the challenge of taking over this club and continuing to build on what Mike has established here,” McLaren said. “When I came back here, I said I wanted to be a part of taking this team back to the postseason and back to what our fans expect and deserve.

“That’s still the case. My focus and the focus of every one of my coaches is to help these players achieve what they are capable of, and that’s getting this team back to the postseason.”

Hargrove enjoyed a tremendous amount of success with the Indians, who he guided to a 721-591 record from 1991-1999. Under Hargrove, the Indians posted six straight winning seasons while reaching the World Series in 1995 and 1997 only to lose both times.