MLB roundup: Red Sox fire Valentine after one season

Bobby Valentine lasted one season in Boston.

The Red Sox announced via Twitter that the beleaguered skipper won't return in 2013, one day after the team concluded a 93-loss season

"Our 2012 season was disappointing for many reasons," Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington said in a statement. "No single issue is the reason, and no single individual is to blame."

Valentine, 62, becomes the first scapegoat for a season that seemed doomed from the start. He was hired in December amid an organizational turnover that saw manager Terry Francona and general manager Theo Epstein not return.

Valentine quickly alienated the clubhouse, beginning in April when he said fan favorite Kevin Youkilis wasn't "as physically or emotionally into the game as he has been in the past for some reason."

Later in the season, players went to ownership to lodge formal complaints.

On Wednesday, Valentine told reporters that he "had every opportunity to succeed and didn't."

He also told Boston sports radio station WEEI that he felt he was undermined at times by some of his coaches.

Valentine leaves with one season lft on his contract. The last-place Red Sox finished with more than 90 losses for the first time since 1966.

---Ozzie Guillen may join Joe Girardi on the list of managers who lasted one year in Miami.

According to ESPN's Buster Olney, the Marlins are "seeking a replacement" for Guillen, which would lead to Guillen's firing after just the first year of a four-year, $10 million contract.

The Marlins finished 69-93 and in the National League East cellar, despite entering a season with high expectations.

---Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemp will have surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder.

The surgery is scheduled for Friday, and the recovery time ranges from four weeks to four months, Kemp told reporters, depending on what doctors find.

Kemp said the injury likely takes him out of playing for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic next spring.

---Ryne Sandberg took one step closer to a big-league managing job Thursday, when the Hall of Fame second baseman was named the Philadelphia Phillies third base coach and infield instructor.

Sandberg's promotion comes amid a coaching-staff shakeup for the Phillies, who finished the season at 81-81, their first season at .500 or worse since 2002. First-base coach Sam Perlozzo, bench coach Pete Mackanin and hitting coach Greg Gross won't return.

---Former postseason hero Curt Schilling may be forced to sell the famous "bloody sock" to help pay back millions of dollars in loans he guaranteed for his failed video-game company, 38Studios, according to multiple reports.

The garment, worn by Schilling during the 2004 World Series, was listed among the collateral recently pledged to his lenders, the Boston Globe reported, citing a document filed with the Massachusetts secretary of state's office.

---Oakland A's reliever Pat Neshek will remain away from the team to deal with the death of his infant son.

The pitcher had left the A's Tuesday to be with his wife, Stephanee Neshek, for the birth of their son, Gehrig John Neshek. Gehrig John died about 23 hours later.

Neshek posted a 1.37 ERA in 24 relief appearances with the A's this season.

---Major League Baseball attendance climbed to its highest level since the 2008 season.

Teams averaged 30,895 fans per game during the 2012 regular season that ended Wednesday, a 1.8 percent increase from last year.

The Philadelphia Phillies ranked No. 1 in average attendance with 44,021 fans per game.

---Veteran Atlanta catcher Brian McCann won't be in the starting lineup for the Braves' one-game wild-card playoff against St. Louis on Friday.

Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez announced Thursday that David Ross will start behind the plate. Gonzalez said the decision was difficult but that McCann has been bothered by a shoulder injury.

---The White Sox announced that first baseman Paul Konerko underwent successful surgery on Thursday to remove a loose body from his left wrist.

Sutures will be removed from his wrist in seven to 10 days. He is expected to make a full recovery and be ready for the start of Spring Training.

Koneko hit .298 with 26 home runs and 75 RBIs in 144 games this season.

---The Seattle Mariners announced they will not renew the contract of hitting coach Chris Chambliss.

Chambliss, 63, was let go after the Mariners finished last in the majors in team batting average (.234) and slugging percentage (.369). They also were last in the American League in runs scored.