TORONTO (AP) -The slumping Seattle Mariners fired hitting coach Jeff Pentland on Monday and replaced him with special assistant Lee Elia.
Mariners general manager Bill Bavasi said he hoped a “different voice” would help the team. The 70-year-old Elia was Seattle’s batting coach from 1993-97, and is well known for a tirade he once unleashed as manager of the Chicago Cubs.
Seattle made the move less than a week after team president Chuck Armstrong ripped into the coaching staff. Expected to be contenders in the AL West, the Mariners began the day with the worst record in the majors at 22-41.
The Mariners started a three-game series at Toronto on Monday night. They were next-to-last in hitting in the AL at .248.
The 61-year-old Pentland was in his third season as Seattle’s hitting coach.
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