Mariners Ex-Manager Scott Servais 'Alarmed' by Sudden Firing via Phone Notification

## Sapo

Former Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais expressed surprise and disappointment over his recent dismissal, particularly after learning about the decision through a notification on his phone rather than from the organization directly.

Mariners Ex-Manager Scott Servais 'Alarmed' by Sudden Firing via Phone Notification

## Article

The Seattle Mariners' decision to fire manager Scott Servais during a recent skid sent shockwaves through the baseball world, but it was the manner in which Servais learned of his fate that has raised eyebrows.

Mariners Ex-Manager Scott Servais 'Alarmed' by Sudden Firing via Phone Notification

According to the Seattle Times, Servais received a notification from The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, less than 90 minutes before a scheduled meeting with the Mariners' 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."

Mariners Ex-Manager Scott Servais 'Alarmed' by Sudden Firing via Phone Notification

Dipoto expressed regret over the way Servais found out about the firing, acknowledging that it was a difficult situation.

"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. "That, it crushes me, and I know it hurts them a great deal."

Servais, who led the Mariners for nine seasons, admitted that he knew his chances of a 10th year were uncertain if the team failed to reach the playoffs, but he didn't expect to be let go during the season.

"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."

The Mariners' decision to part ways with Servais stemmed from a disappointing stretch of play that saw the team lose eight of their last nine games after holding a substantial lead in the AL West in June.

"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."

As of August 25, the Mariners sit 4.5 games back in the AL West race and 7.5 games behind in the AL wild-card chase. Servais' sudden departure has left a void in the organization, and it remains to be seen how the team will respond in the remaining weeks of the season.