Mike Shildt, the manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, was fired Thursday despite a 17-game winning streak which set a new team record.
John Mozeliak, Cardinals president of baseball operations, said that Shildt was fired because of "philosophical differences". He refused to elaborate on the differences, stating that it was "something that popped-up recently."
Mozeliak acknowledged that Shildt was entering the last year of his contract, but it wasn't the only reason for the parting. After the 2019 season, Shildt had signed an extension to his three-year contract.
Shildt (53), had led the Cardinals to three consecutive playoffs, including 2021 when they rode their September winning streak of 90-72 to the finish. In the wild-card match, St. Louis was defeated by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In three seasons, Shildt's Cardinals team went 252-199. He was also named NL Manager-of-the Year in 2019. However, they were swept by the Washington Nationals in the NL Championship Series. In 2020, his team lost a wild card series to the San Diego Padres.
In July 2018, he became the 50th Cardinals manager after Mike Matheny was fired. He was appointed interim manager. A month later, the club removed the interim tag.
Shildt, who had never played in either the majors or the minors, joined Cardinals in 2004. North Carolina native Shildt spent most of his time in management and was part of the major league coaching staff for two years before being appointed manager.
This report was contributed by The Associated Press.
