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Mike Scioscia might finally be coaching for his job with Los Angeles Angels

By Michael Natelli

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The Los Angeles Angels pulled out an improbable win against the Texas Rangers on Saturday, scoring five runs in the top of the ninth to cap off an 11-10 victory. The win gave Mike Scioscia‘s team a fighting chance to potentially clinch a Wild Card berth on Sunday, though they’ll still have to have some luck. And that luck could also determine the fate of Scioscia’s job.

Scioscia’s been at the helm of the Angels for quite a while: He managed through both Obama terms thus far, all eight Bush years, and a little bit on the back end of the Clinton administration (2000-2001). This is his 16th season with Anaheim, for those counting, though it’s been 13 years since he led the Angels to the 2002 World Series.

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The former All-Star catcher has an opt-out clause in his contract that could let him leave Los Angeles after the season if he so chose, though how things play out on Sunday could play a serious role in deciding whether he’ll have the luxury of choosing to stay with the Angels or not.

The Scioscia-led Angels have made just one postseason appearance since 2010, when they lost in a divisional series against the Kansas City Royals last year. They got swept, and haven’t won a playoff game since taking the 2009 American League Championship six games against the eventual-World Series champion New York Yankees. A win tomorrow, combined with a loss by the Houston Astros, would force a play-in Game 163 on Monday to decide which club takes on the Yankees in the Wild Card game on Tuesday night.

But could a loss Sunday, or even an ultimate failure to make the postseason, spell the end of Scioscia’s miraculously long tenure in the Angels dugout? Owner Arte Moreno has not-so-subtly been a fan of his skipper for quite a while: he seemingly picked Scioscia over then-general manager Jerry Dipoto in a spat between the two earlier this season that led to Dipoto’s firing.

But if the hundreds of millions of dollars Moreno has spent in the last half-decade prove anything, it’s that he seemingly expects a winning product on the field. And while Scioscia has led his team to above-.500 records four out of the last five years, failure to make it to the postseason for the fifth time in six seasons might be the final straw.

Next: Scherzer Throws Second No-Hitter of 2015

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