Diamondbacks fire manager Kirk Gibson

Just days from the end of an awful season, the Arizona Diamondbacks fired manager Kirk Gibson. The firing was announced Friday, 15 minutes before a news conference to introduce new Diamondbacks general manager Dave Stewart. “It was my trigger to pull,” Chief Baseball Officer Tony La Russa said. Bench coach Alan Trammell also was dismissed, but will stay on to manage the final three games. Gibson took over as interim manager in 2010, then got the job without the interim title. In 2011, he led the Diamondbacks to the N.L. West title and was named major league manager of the year. But his next two teams went 81-81, and this year, with a squad riddled with injuries, the D-backs (63-96) are assured at least a tie for the worst record in baseball. – AP