The manager ax found another victim on Wednesday, as the Blue Jays’ Charlie Montoyo became the third skipper to be fired this season.
Montoyo, 56, was in his fourth year as Blue Jays’ manager. His team, picked by many to win the American League East and compete for a spot in the World Series, was 46-42 at the time of his firing. The Angels’ Joe Maddon and the Phillies’ Joe Girardi are the other managers who were fired before even reaching the All-Star break. Blue Jays bench coach John Schneider has been named interim manager for the remainder of the season.
Toronto is in fourth place in the division, behind the Yankees, Rays and Red Sox. As of Wednesday morning, they were also a half-game up on the Mariners for the third wild-card spot, meaning the Blue Jays fired a manager who would have gotten them to the playoffs if the season ended today.
