Williams, aides fired by Astros
The Houston Astros made it clear they’re making one final push for the postseason, firing manager Jimy Williams and bringing in Phil Garner.
A season that began with World Series aspirations for the Astros has been slipping away, so general manager Gerry Hunsicker wanted an immediate and “dramatic” change.
“There’s a cloud that hung over our team for so long,” he said. “Time is of the essence. We can’t waste too much time here.”
Garner, a former Astros player, is taking over on an interim basis. The team will conduct another search at the end of the season.
“I’m excited. I’m a Houston boy and I’m looking forward to it,” Garner, a former manager with Detroit and Milwaukee, told The Associated Press in a phone interview. “We got some boys on the team that I think can do something really special. This is an opportunity that I’ve been waiting for.”
Williams’ job security had been the subject of speculation for about a month, right about the time Houston’s surprising slide down the N.L. Central standings began. He was fired during a clubhouse meeting with Hunsicker, owner Drayton McLane and other team officials.
“He indicated that he was not surprised,” McLane said. “He knew something wasn’t clicking.”
The season began with expectations of the club’s first World Series appearance in its 42-year history after the offseason acquisition of former New York Yankees teammates Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens.
But Houston was 44-44 heading into the All-Star break, a remarkable disappointment for a team that was tops in the N.L. Central for the first month and a half of the season.
Along with Williams, pitching coach Burt Hooton and hitting coach Harry Spilman were also fired. They were replaced with Jim Hickey and Gary Gaetti, respectively, from Triple-A New Orleans.
The Astros finished the first half of the season in fifth place in the N.L. Central, 10 1/2 games behind division leader St. Louis. It’s the first time they’ve faced a double-digit deficit in the standings at the break in 11 seasons.
During pregame introductions at the All-Star game Tuesday night, a sellout crowd at Minute Maid Park booed Williams. He doffed his cap but was clearly embarrassed.
“My biggest regret was the fact that this week couldn’t have been any more awkward for all of us,” Hunsicker said. “The unfortunate reaction he got from the fans, and the speculation that became rampant in the last day or so was very unfortunate. He deserved better.”
Williams, 60, has guided the Astros to two second-place finishes, losing the division race last season in the final week. The Astros made the postseason four of five seasons before his arrival from Boston, but they have failed to clinch a playoff berth since.
The Astros have been surprisingly punchless on offense, ranking only 19th in the majors in scoring. Their highly touted pitching staff has struggled as both Pettitte and Wade Miller have spent time on the disabled list. And Carlos Beltran hasn’t been the quick fix they expected — the All-Star center fielder is hitting .263.
Ratings down for All-Star game
Television ratings for the All-Star game, hurt by the American League’s six-run first inning, were the lowest in history.
The American League’s 9-4 win Tuesday night drew an 8.8 rating and a 15 share on Fox, down 7 percent from the 9.5/17 of the last two years — the lowest previous numbers.
Still, about 32.8 million people watched the game, a 7-percent improvement from last year’s audience of 30.7 million. It was the largest audience since 1999.