The San Diego Padres, reeling in their quest to reach the playoffs this season, fired their decorated pitching coach, Larry Rothschild, on Monday.
Ben Fritz, nearly 20 years removed from being among the headliners in the Oakland Athletics' famed "Moneyball" draft, will replace him as interim pitching coach the rest of this season.
Rothschild, 67, was in his second year with the Padres and spent the previous 18 years as a pitching coach for the New York Yankees and the Chicago Cubs. Padres manager Jayce Tingler said firing Rothschild was "100%" his decision, citing a desire to "change the voice" down the stretch.