Despite a team-record 17-game winning streak that carried the St. Louis Cardinals to an MLB wild-card berth, Mike Shildt was fired as manager Thursday.
Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak cited “philosophical differences” to explain Shildt’s dismissal. He declined to expand on those differences, saying the move was “something that popped up recently.”
Mozeliak noted that Shildt was heading into the final year of his contract but said it wasn’t the sole reason for parting ways. Shildt had signed a three-year contract extension after the 2019 season.
Shildt, 53, had guided the Cardinals to the playoffs three times, including in 2021, when they rode their September winning streak to a 90-72 finish. St. Louis lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the wild-card game.
Going 252-199 in three-plus seasons, Shildt led the Cardinals to the National League Central title in 2019, when he was named NL Manager of the Year, but they were swept in the NL Championship Series by the Washington Nationals. His team also lost a wild-card series to the San Diego Padres in 2020.
He became the 50th manager in Cardinals history in July 2018 when he was given the job on an interim basis after Mike Matheny was fired. The club removed the interim tag a month later.
Shildt, who never played in the minors or majors, joined the Cardinals organization in 2004. The North Carolina native spent most of that time managing in the minors and was a member of the team’s major league coaching staff for two seasons before being named manager.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.