Ryne Sandberg simply couldn't take it anymore.
Sandberg on Friday resigned as Phillies manager in the midst of one of the most dismal seasons since Ricky Otero manned center field at the Vet.
The surprising decision was announced at an abruptly arranged press conference — Sandberg had yet to tell the players — at Citizens Bank Park a few hours before the first game of a three-game series against the Washington Nationals.
Sandberg, 55, was in his second full season as Phillies manager. He took over for Charlie Manuel with 42 games remaining in the 2013 season and leaves after posting a 119-159 (.428) overall record. The Phillies are major league worst 26-48 this season.
Third base coach Pete Mackanin will take over on an interim basis.
"It's not an easy decision. In a lot of ways I'm old school, and I'm very much dissatisfied with the record and not pleased at all with that," an emotional Sandberg said. "I think that goes hand in hand with being a manager. So it's been a difficult thing to swallow, but I have thought about it for some time, and we've come to this day.
"The accumulation of losses was something that I take responsibility for and something that really took a toll on me."
MLB
Sandberg leaves the club that selected him in the 20th round of the 1978 draft. He played only 13 games with the Phils before being traded to the Cubs. After a 16-year Hall of Fame playing career, Sandberg spent two seasons as manager of the Phillies' Triple A affiliate, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, before being hired in 2012 as the Phillies' third base coach and infield instructor, his first major league coaching position.
Nearly a year later, he was named the 52nd manager in team history.
"It was a dream opportunity for me to put on a Phillies major league uniform, and that's where it really hits hard today as far as making it a difficult decision," Sandberg said. "But with some leadership roles coming up, I think it was important for me not to be in the way with the way things have gone this year, but allow the organization to go forward and really get this thing going."
The primary leadership change is the expected addition of Andy MacPhail, who likely would replace Pat Gillick as team president.
"I don't know that I'd be in the plans or not," Sandberg said, "but being dissatisfied with the record and not being pleased with that, really didn't feel like I had too many legs to stand on as far as going forward with any changes."
How long Mackanin will remain manager is uncertain.
"At least at this time through this home stand," general manager Ruben Amaro said. "Frankly, this is a pretty sudden decision that Ryne has made so we're in the process of trying to get our feet on the ground. Pete has graciously accepted.
"He's a good baseball man. We'll see where it goes. Frankly, it's a little open-ended right now."
Not much was expected of the Phillies this season, but they've been historically bad of late. Before they took two of three from the Yankees, they'd lost 10 of 11 and 22 of 27.
The Phils' offense has been anemic; they've been held to two or fewer runs 30 times in 74 games.
What's more, they're also a major league worst 9-29 on the road. A little over a week ago, the Phillies finished their first winless road trip of eight or more games since their inaugural season of 1883.
"When it really hit me home, I felt it was better now than later — for myself, for my family, for the organization going forward," Sandberg said. "It's a tough enough job to do, but when you wore the shoes that I was in and felt what I was feeling on a daily basis and being dissatisfied with what was going on as far as on the field and the record, that weighed a lot on me."
Sandberg said the losing wasn't due to a lack of effort.
"I believe the players came everyday to the ballpark on time," he said. "I think they came prepared and I know that they are still going to go out and play hard because they played hard up through yesterday."
Maikel Franco, who almost single-handedly won the two games over the Yankees, is the only regular hitting above .300. He's also second on the team with 10 home runs. And he's played only 38 of the team's 74 games.
"It was good to see winning the two games at Yankee Stadium," Sandberg said. "It was good to see the young players play and Franco having big games. Some of the younger players doing what they did, that's the bright spots going forward to build on. Those are the positive notes."
The Phillies have gotten 13 home runs from Ryan Howard, but the two other position players remaining from the core of the 2008 world champions, Chase Utley and Carlos Ruiz, are hitting .179 and .222.
Cole Hamels has a 3.26 ERA but has continued to suffer from a maddening and well-documented lack of run support. After a sparkling start to the season, veteran Aaron Harang has crashed back to earth. He has lost a career-worst six straight starts, and his ERA over that span has nearly doubled from 1.82 to 3.41. When Hamels was scratched last week because of a poor hamstring, the Phils had to turn to Phillippe Aumont, who had 25 walks in his last 26 innings at Lehigh Valley and lasted just four innings in a 12-4 loss.
Aumont is no longer with the organization.
Jonathan Papelbon and Ken Giles have been excellent, but the rest of the bullpen — considered the team's strength in spring training — has been shaky. Jake Diekman is 2-1 with a 5.81 ERA and recently returned from a stint in Triple A.
Responsible for the team Sandberg is managing, Amaro says he doesn't hold Sandberg accountable.
"Well, it's surprising," Amaro said. "I don't know that Ryne should be feeling like he should shoulder all the blame. We do things as a team, as an organization, and we win as an organization and we lose as an organization. It's really a team effort. I take my level of responsibility for the things that are happening on the field as well. It is disappointing.
"Ryne, he was here as our manager for a reason. He showed us that he was prepared to take on this task. I completely understand that and respect the decision he's made."
Corey Seidman and Jordan Hall contributed to this story.