The San Francisco Giants didn’t wait for the season’s bitter end to enact major changes. On Friday, they announced the immediate dismissal of manager Gabe Kapler.
Giants president Farhan Zaidi wasted no time in sharing this news:
“I recommended the managerial change to ownership, and they approved the decision.”
This move comes as a surprise, considering that Kapler was the National League Manager of the Year in 2021, guiding the Giants to a record-breaking 107-win season. Kapler still had one year remaining on his three-year contract extension signed after that remarkable season.
The #SFGiants announced that the club has dismissed manager Gabe Kapler.
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) September 29, 2023
However, just weeks after receiving an endorsement from the club’s chairman, Kapler was ousted following a spectacular September collapse. Zaidi expressed his disappointment, saying,
“We played our worst baseball when it mattered most.”
Zaidi’s stance on the situation evolved rapidly. A day earlier, he acknowledged the team’s failures and took personal responsibility but stopped short of confirming Kapler’s return for the next season. Less than 24 hours later, he made the recommendation to fire Kapler, with ownership’s approval.
Reflecting on Kapler’s tenure, the Giants organization issued a statement:
“In his tenure as Giants manager, Gabe led our team through an unprecedented pandemic in 2020 and a franchise-record 107 wins and postseason berth in 2021. He has been dedicated and passionate in his efforts to improve the on-field performance of the San Francisco Giants, and I have tremendous respect for him as a colleague and friend.”
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) September 29, 2023
As the Giants look ahead, they face a challenging task to finish the season at .500, needing to sweep their weekend series against the Dodgers. Zaidi shared his sentiments:
“After making this recommendation to ownership and receiving their approval, I met with Gabe today to inform him of our decision. In his tenure as Giants manager, Gabe led our team through an unprecedented pandemic in 2020 and a franchise-record 107 wins and postseason berth in 2021. He has been dedicated and passionate in his efforts to improve the on-field performance of the San Francisco Giants, and I have tremendous respect for him as a colleague and friend.”
Under Kapler’s leadership, the Giants achieved a record of 295-248, one of the highest winning percentages for a manager in franchise history. The close working relationship between Zaidi and Kapler had been widely recognized, leading many to speculate that the decision to let Kapler go was not solely Zaidi’s.
