Rockies fire manager Bud Black, bench coach Mike Redmond amid historically bad start

The Rockies fired manager Bud Black on Sunday amid the ballclub s historically bad start to the season despite a - win over the Padres that snapped an eight-game losing streak They also fired bench coach Mike Redmond The Rockies are - last in the National League West and own the worst record in Major League Baseball Black was in his ninth year as the Rockies manager and was the longest-tenured manager in club history This was the final year of his contract Black was replaced by third base coach Warren Schaeffer who will serve as interim manager for the remainder of the season Hitting Coach Clint Hurdle has been named the interim bench coach Black determined success early in his tenure with Colorado leading the squad to its only back-to-back postseason appearances in - But it s been all downhill since Amid a youth movement the franchise is headed toward its seventh consecutive losing season the longest streak in franchise history And a third consecutive -loss season appears likely Hamstrung by the worst offenses in franchise history the Rockies lost games in and games in marking the only times the club suffered triple-digit losses in a season The club s average on-base percentage and OPS were all the lowest in franchise history while its strikeouts were the the majority in club history Black managed more games than anyone in club history won more games but also lost more games Personable and charismatic Black had a strong friendly relationship with his players the front office and staff as well as the media A major league pitcher for seasons Black brought a pitching-rich background to Colorado when he was hired before the season He replaced Walt Weiss and inherited a gang that went - in The Rockies finished - and advanced to the postseason but lost - to Arizona in the National League wild-card meeting Related Articles The learning of Rockies rookie pitcher Chase Dollander Struggles now will pay off down the line Rockies Journal questions for owner Dick Monfort How LoDo can Rockies go Padres blast five homers in - win at Coors Field Rockies GM Bill Schmidt backs Bud Black says squad capable of doing better Renck Disappointed humbled Rockies Zac Veen back on right track in Triple-A Colorado improved to - in and came one event away from winning its first division title The Dodgers and Rockies finished the regular season deadlocked forcing a one-game playoff in Los Angeles The Dodgers won - to clinch the NL West title The Rockies beat the Cubs - in a dramatic -inning wild-card encounter at Wrigley Field but were then swept in three games by Milwaukee in the NL divisional series Under Black s tutelage left-hander Kyle Freeland and right-hander German Marquez blossomed into two of the best pitchers in franchise history In Freeland finished fourth in the NL Cy Young Award voting after posting a ERA the lowest in a full season in franchise history and the fifth-lowest in the NL in In Marquez was one of the best pitchers in baseball in the first half of the season and made the All-Star Crew He finished with a ERA and led the NL with three complete games Want more Rockies news Sign up for the Rockies Insider to get all our MLB analysis