Last-place Pirates fire manager Derek Shelton, promote bench coach Don Kelly

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates fired manager Derek Shelton following a rocky opening month to the season that saw Pittsburgh quickly slip into last place in the NL Central.

General manager Ben Cherington made the announcement Thursday. Bench coach Don Kelly will take over for Shelton, who is the first manager fired across Major League Baseball this season.

The decision comes with Pittsburgh riding a seven-game losing streak that saw its record fall to 12-26. Shelton, hired by Cherington in November 2019 as part of a franchise-wide reset by owner Bob Nutting, went 306-440 in five-plus seasons with the Pirates.

“Derek worked incredibly hard and sacrificed a lot over five-plus years,” Cherington said in a statement. “His family became a big part of the Pirates family, and we will miss that. He’s an incredibly smart, curious, and driven baseball leader. I believe he was the right person for the job when he was hired. I also believe that a change is now necessary. I wish Derek and his family all the best in their next chapter.”

The Pirates, ranked 26th out of 30 MLB teams in opening day payroll, began the season hoping to contend behind reigning National League Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes. While the 22-year-old Skenes has been solid and the starting rotation in general has been steady, Pittsburgh’s offense has languished near the bottom of the NL all season.

The Pirates are in the middle of a difficult stretch that began by getting swept by both San Diego and St. Louis. Pittsburgh’s next nine games are against NL powers Atlanta, the New York Mets and Philadelphia.

Nutting called the first quarter of the season “frustrating and painful for all of us.”

Kelly, a Pittsburgh native, spent nine years in the major leagues as a utility player. Kelly has been the Pirates bench coach since 2020.

“Donnie is as respected as any person in our clubhouse and throughout our organization,” said Nutting. “He is a Pirate. He bleeds black and gold. No one is more committed, and no one loves this team or city more than Donnie. He is the right person to manage our team and help get us back on track.”

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