The choice, in St. Louis’ opinion, had to be made. The Cardinals were only a game over.500 at the All-Star break, despite expectations that they would make the postseason. Following Cincinnati’s two consecutive losses, manager Mike Matheny was fired, making interim captain Mike Schildt the new manager.
Had the front office researched recent events in its own division, St. There’s a chance Louis would have shown more patience. Fortunately, the team the Cardinals are pursuing did not fire their manager when they were in a situation similar to their current one last season.
Actually, the 2017 Cubs’ situation was a little worse than the Cardinals’ right now because Chicago was two games under.500 and had dropped three of its previous four games going into the Midsummer Classic. The team, which had won the organization’s first World Series title in more than a century seven months earlier and was the overwhelming favorite to repeat as champions, was deemed to be unworthy of those outcomes.
As his star-studded Cubs had spent exactly zero days atop the National League Central division, many Chicago fans feared that Joe Madden had lost the managerial magic he had held the previous season. Even the likelihood of making it to the postseason seemed remote, along with any chance of winning another World Series title.
At that point, general manager Theo Epstein had the option of saying goodbye to Madden, just as St. The recent treatment of Matheny by Louis GM John Mozeliak. Instead, Epstein opted to support his captain, and his perseverance was amply repaid.
After the All-Star break, the Chicago Cubs played much better in Madden, and by September, they had surpassed the Milwaukee Brewers to take the lead. The remainder of the regular season saw them maintain that momentum, and they then defeated the Washington Nationals in the National League Championship Series.
Without making the drastic decision to fire their manager, the Cubs still managed to mount a fantastic comeback, falling just a few outs short of winning their second consecutive pennant. However, given how far behind they were in July, it was quite an accomplishment for Madden to even get Chicago to the playoffs. Chicago would have undoubtedly preferred another World Series victory.
There is no doubt that the Cardinals, who have missed the playoffs for the past two seasons, would be ecstatic to finish behind the Cubs. Epstein and his staff’s front office would have been more patient if they had done the same. Louis would have a better chance of getting there.
Instead, they decided to fire the manager because it was the simple solution. What does that say about the current state of the St. Louis Rams considering that tactic is typically employed by hopeless teams? Louis Cardinals?