The Philadelphia Phillies have organized a press conference scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET, and reports indicate it's to announce the firing of manager Charlie Manuel.
Phillies beat writer for CSNPhilly.com, James Salisbury, tweeted the following Friday:
Phillies to make manager change, sources say. Press at 230.
— Jim Salisbury (@JSalisburyCSN) August 16, 2013
Manuel notched his 1,000th career victory as a manager in the Phillies 5-1 win against Atlanta Monday at Turner Field, and has been at the helm for the Phillies since 2005.
The team won five straight National League East division championships under Manuel between 2005-11 and went to back-to-back World Series' in 2008-09. The Phillies won the Fall Classic under Manuel in 2008, defeating the Tampa Bay Rays in five games.
Reports have indicated that it's unclear if Manuel, who has led the team to a .500 record or better in every season he's been at the helm is being fired or leaving on his own accord. The manager is 69-years-old and has a .551 winning percentage and a 780-636 record since taking the reins to the team.
When asked earlier this week if he'd retire at the end of the season, Manuel wouldn't say for sure.
"We'll see about that," Manuel told the media according to reports.
That was a change from his stance at spring training when he said he had no plans of calling it a career.
The Phillies have been on the decline in recent years, finishing at 81-81 last season and falling even further down this season. The team's core is aging and general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. apparently hasn't given in to the thought of rebuilding.
This season, the Phillies are in fourth place in the NL East with a 53-67 record, a whole 20.5 games behind the first place Atlanta Braves and are 15.5 games out of the second wildcard spot currently owned by the Cincinnati Reds.
Manuel is running an aging team, but may be a scapegoat for the decline.
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