The Rangers couldn’t even wait for the end of a dismal season to dump their manager.
Jeff Banister was fired Friday, a little more than a week before the end of what will be Texas’ first consecutive losing seasons in 10 years.
Bench coach Don Wakamatsu will serve as interim manager for the remainder of the season, starting with Friday night’s game against the Mariners that starts the final home series of the season. The Rangers announced Banister’s dismissal earlier in the day.
Banister, hired after the 2014 season, had a 325-313 record in his first managerial job. The Rangers won the AL West title in each of his first two seasons, losing to Toronto in the AL Division Series both times.
The Rangers had a 64-88 record going into Friday night’s game. They were 78-84 last year.
With six teams in the majors with even worse records than the Rangers’, it seems likely Banister’s will be just the first head to roll as the season comes to a close.
Next up could be Buck Showalter, the former Yankees and Rangers manager who has been with the Orioles since 2010. Mired in a historically bad season, the Orioles are expected to part ways with Showalter. But unlike the Rangers, they’re expected to wait until the end of the season.