Former Pittsburgh Pirates Manager Clint Hurdle Retires From Baseball

According to a report from the San Diego Union-Tribune, long time Pittsburgh Pirates manager Clint Hurdle has decided to retire from baseball

On September 29th, the Pittsburgh Pirates fired long time manager Clint Hurdle. This move brought Hurdle’s nine-year tenure as manager of the Pirates to an end.

After the Pirates and Hurdle parted ways it remained to be seen what would be next for Hurdle. Would he look to get another managerial position? A hitting coach? Bench coach? Would he look to retire? Well, we now have our answer.

According to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, Hurdle has decided to retire from baseball. This comes after he interviewed with the San Diego Padres for their hitting coach position.

Prior to becoming the Pirates’ manager, Hurdle served as hitting coach for the Texas Rangers. So, being a hitting coach is nothing new to Hurdle. However, he has instead decided to retire and spend time with his family.

Hurdle finished his career in Pittsburgh with a 735-720-1 record in the regular season, and a 3-5 record in the postseason. His 735 wins is the fourth most in franchise history. In 17 MLB seasons as a manager, between the Pirates and Colorado Rockies, Hurdle went 1,269-1,345-1 in the regular season and 10-9 in the postseason. This included winning the National League Pennant with the Rockies in 2008.

While I was critical of Hurdle at times and did not always agree with his in game managerial decisions, Hurdle did accomplished a lot of good as manager of the Pirates. He helped reconnect the team to the city of Pittsburgh, he helped make the Pirates relevant again, in 2013 he managed them to their first winning season and postseason appearances since 1992, and he guided the team to three consecutive postseason berths.

Hurdle should be reviewed in a positive light by Pirate fans. Here’s to wishing Hurdle nothing but the best and fun times in his retirement!