Pair of Seattle Mariners Stars Comment on the Firing of Manager Scott Servais

Seattle Mariners stars and team leaders J.P. Crawford and Julio Rodriguez spoke on Friday about the team’s decision to fire longtime manager Scott Servais after eight-plus years.

From Crawford’s perspective, per Curtis Crabtree of FOX 13 Seattle:

J.P. Crawford on Scott Servais: “It was tough. He’s been my manager ever since my first day here and he challenged me to be the best person I could be. Sad to see him go.”

Under Servais, Crawford reached great heights, so it’s understandable why he has such an affinity for him. After being acquired in a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies, Crawford won a Gold Glove Award in 2020. He also helped the Mariners get back to the playoffs in 2022, having a crucial hit in an AL Wild Card Series win over the Toronto Blue Jays.

Furthermore, Crawford earned a five-year contract worth $51 million under Servais’s helm. He’s under contract through 2026.

As for Rodriguez, Servais is the only big-league manager he’s ever played for (until Friday night).

As for Rodriguez, the following comes fron Daniel Kramer of MLB.com:

Julio Rodríguez on the Mariners’ managerial change:

“I’m just focused on playing baseball. Those decisions are outside the players. That’s obviously higher up. We’re employees here, just like everybody is, so we’ve just got to show up and play baseball.”

Rodriguez was back in center field on Friday night for the first time since injuring his ankle on July 21. He went 0-for-3 at the plate with two walks and made an outstanding catch in the top of the tenth inning to keep the game tied. The Mariners eventually won it 6-5 in the bottom half.

They’ll play the Giants again on Saturday at 1:10 p.m. PT.

NEW PODCAST IS OUT: The latest episode of the “Refuse to Lose” podcast is out as Brady Farkas talks about the Mariners firing Scott Servais, hiring Dan Wilson and Jerry Dipoto getting to stay on the job. Furthermore, we are joined by Ty Buttrey, who played most of this season at Triple-A Tacoma. He shares his opinion on Servais, the organization and the state of baseball as a whole in an enlightening conversation. CLICK HERE:

LONG OVERDUE? One former Mariner says the firing of Scott Servais should have happened earlier. CLICK HERE:

DAN is the MAN: Dan Wilson has been given the job, permanently? CLICK HERE:

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