Milwaukee Brewers History: Ned Yost Fired During Playoff Run
By David Hill
Heading down the stretch in 2008, the Milwaukee Brewers had a tenuous grip on a postseason berth. In an attempt to shake the club out of their malaise, the Brewers fired manager Ned Yost on this day, with 12 games left in the season.
The Milwaukee Brewers 2008 campaign was quite the roller coaster. They started the year 6-1, but struggled to the point where they were in last in the National League Central after 44 games. The Brewers then went on another streak, prompting the team to acquire CC Sabathia for a postseason push. Yet, for as great as Sabathia was, the Brewers started to struggle again, holding on to a postseason spot only because of the Mets implosion that year.
As the Brewers struggled down the stretch, a change needed to be made. In what was a surprise move, on this day, Milwaukee fired manager Ned Yost, naming Dale Sveum the manager for the remaining 12 games. It was the type of move one sees in the NHL, where a team looking for a spark heading into the postseason fires the head coach just to get a different voice. Sometimes, it proves beneficial, as it did with the Brewers.
While Sveum was not the second coming of Casey Stengel, he did manage to go 7-5 with Milwaukee. That was enough to bring the Brewers to the playoffs for the first time since 1982, as the Mets continued to fade. Milwaukee would eventually fall to the future World Series champion Phillies in four games.
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
It did not take long for Yost to find work. Just over a year later, he was named the manager of the rebuilding Kansas City Royals. By the end of the 2013 campaign, the Royals were competitive. Then, Yost guided the team to consecutive World Series appearances, and the 2015 title. Yost certainly proved that he could, in fact, lead a team to the promised land.
Interestingly enough, Sveum is a part of Yost’s coaching staff. When the Royals were under .500 at the trade deadline in 2014, the calls for Yost’s head had started. It led to the interesting thought that history could repeat itself, with Sveum potentially taking over as the Royals manager down the stretch.
Next: Brewers get three extra home games
On this day in 2008, the Milwaukee Brewers made a strange move in firing Ned Yost with 12 games left in the season. With a postseason berth on the line, it was a move they needed to make.