MLB world reacts to Joe Maddon decision

On Monday night, the Los Angeles Angels lost their 12th game in a row, falling to 27-29 on the season. Manager Joe Maddon got into a testy exchange with a reporter afterward about whether or not he thinks the team is competing.

Turns out, it’s not his problem anymore because the Angels fired Maddon on Tuesday. Phil Nevin, who had been the third-base coach this season, was named interim manager.

The Angels were 24-13 and in first place on May 15. However, they’ve gone 3-16 since all while having two of Major League Baseball’s best players on their roster in Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout.

It has become commonplace for baseball fans to wonder how the Angels can have so much talent but never seem to go far. This season so far has encapsulated the idea put forth in last year’s viral tweet.

While Maddon might be best known for managing the Chicago Cubs to their first World Series title in 108 years in 2016, he has spent most of his career with the Angels. He spent two stints as interim manager in 1996 and 1999 and was bench coach under Mike Scioscia in 2002 when they won the World Series.

Since becoming the full-time manager in 2020, the Angels are 130-148, far below the expectations given the roster he was working with. Hired to get the team back to the playoffs for the first time since 2014, he was unable to make that happen.

Maddon has a 1,382-1,216 career managerial record over 19 total seasons.

The news that Maddon had been relieved of his duties wasn’t a huge surprise to many in the MLB world but it certainly got people talking about him, his legacy, and what’s next for the Angels.

[Angels]