Former Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais reveals his shock and disappointment at finding out about his dismissal from a notification on his phone, expressing concern over the lack of personal communication from the organization.
Seattle Mariners' former manager, Scott Servais, has expressed his dismay and disappointment after learning about his firing through a social media notification. Servais, who was abruptly dismissed on Thursday, stated that he received the news from an alert on his phone from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, less than 90 minutes before a scheduled meeting with the team's president of baseball operations, Jerry Dipoto.
"That was one of the toughest things, obviously, learning that from an alert on my phone," Servais told the Seattle Times. "It was just the reality of what may be coming down here in the next few hours. When you're part of an organization for nine years, it feels like family. And it was alarming that I found out that way, but it happened. I can't say it didn't happen. It absolutely happened that way."
Scott Servais Expresses Disappointment Over Learning of His Firing Through Social Media
The news came as a shock to Servais, who had been with the Mariners organization for nine seasons. Dipoto, who also relieved hitting coach Jarret DeHart of his duties, expressed regret over the manner in which Servais and DeHart received the news.
"In what has been one of my least favorite days in my professional life, the worst part of it was the fact that Scott and Jarret found out about this over the crawl of a news channel," Dipoto told reporters on Thursday. "That, it crushes me, and I know it hurts them a great deal."
Scott Servais Expresses Disappointment Over Learning of His Firing Through Social Media
When Servais was fired, the Mariners were 64-64, having lost eight of their last nine games after holding a commanding lead in the AL West in June. The team's performance had declined significantly since then, with the Houston Astros catching up in the standings.
Servais acknowledged that his chances of a 10th season with the Mariners were in jeopardy if the team failed to reach the postseason, but he did not expect the decision to come during the chase.
Scott Servais Expresses Disappointment Over Learning of His Firing Through Social Media
"I knew probably at the end of the year, if we didn't get into the playoffs, whatever, that there would be kind of a reflection time on where the organization was at and where I fit moving forward," Servais explained. "I just, my expectation was that I'd get a chance to finish out the year. Unfortunately, it just didn't happen."
Dipoto explained the decision to dismiss Servais, stating that the organization felt it needed a "new voice" to reinvigorate the team.
"Collectively, we determined that our organization needed this. We needed to do something to create a different theme, a different vibe in our clubhouse," Dipoto said at the time of the firing. "I'm not trying to throw Scott under a bus at all here. I can't say enough positive things about the things he did in contributing here, but I do think we needed a new voice."
Servais now finds himself as a free agent, unsure of his future in baseball. The firing has left him with a sense of disappointment and uncertainty, but he also expressed gratitude for the opportunity to manage the Mariners for nine seasons.
"I'm proud of what we accomplished in the nine years here," Servais said. "We made the playoffs twice, and we were in the running for a third this year. We've got a great group of young players, and I'm excited to see what they can accomplish in the future."
