Murray fired as Indians hitting coach
Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - The Cleveland Indians, who entered play on Saturday with the second-worst batting average in the majors, have fired Hall of Famer Eddie Murray as their hitting coach.
The decision was made following Saturday's 6-5 loss to the Chicago White Sox. It marked Cleveland's fourth straight defeat. The team is hitting .243 this season.
Manager Eric Wedge informed Murray of the news.
"We have a tremendous amount of respect for Eddie in what he has accomplished as a player and a coach in the game of baseball," Wedge said. "From an operations perspective we thought this was the best move for the major league club in the short and long-term. I want to personally thank Eddie for his hard work and diligence as a member of my coaching staff and for the contributions he made as a player with the Cleveland Indians. Hitting coordinator Derek Shelton will work with our players for the rest of season."
Murray was in his fourth season as hitting coach for the Indians. He spent 2 1/2 seasons as a player with Cleveland from 1994-96 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003.
Shelton had been working as the Indians' organizational hitting coordinator. He will take over as the hitting coach for the remainder of the season.
Earlier Saturday, the Indians named Robby Thompson interim bench coach for the remainder of the season. Thompson replaces Buddy Bell, who was named manager of the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday.
06/04 22:33:07 ET
Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - The Cleveland Indians, who entered play on Saturday with the second-worst batting average in the majors, have fired Hall of Famer Eddie Murray as their hitting coach.
The decision was made following Saturday's 6-5 loss to the Chicago White Sox. It marked Cleveland's fourth straight defeat. The team is hitting .243 this season.
Manager Eric Wedge informed Murray of the news.
"We have a tremendous amount of respect for Eddie in what he has accomplished as a player and a coach in the game of baseball," Wedge said. "From an operations perspective we thought this was the best move for the major league club in the short and long-term. I want to personally thank Eddie for his hard work and diligence as a member of my coaching staff and for the contributions he made as a player with the Cleveland Indians. Hitting coordinator Derek Shelton will work with our players for the rest of season."
Murray was in his fourth season as hitting coach for the Indians. He spent 2 1/2 seasons as a player with Cleveland from 1994-96 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003.
Shelton had been working as the Indians' organizational hitting coordinator. He will take over as the hitting coach for the remainder of the season.
Earlier Saturday, the Indians named Robby Thompson interim bench coach for the remainder of the season. Thompson replaces Buddy Bell, who was named manager of the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday.
06/04 22:33:07 ET
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