Ryne Sandberg resigns as Phillies manager

Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg announced his resignation Friday. Philadelphia is 26-48 this season, which represents the worst record in Major League Baseball.

The former Cubs second baseman and Hall of Famer has been managing the Phillies since 2013. Last season, his first full year with the club, Philadelphia went 73-89.

Third-base coach Pete Mackanin will serve as the club’s interim manager.

During a press conference Friday, Sandberg explained: “I did not want to be in the way.”

As a manager, Sandberg leaves the Phillies with a 119-159 overall record.

“I do not like to lose. I hate to lose,” Sandberg said. “I think that’s the biggest thing that weighed on me.”

After retiring from his playing career with the Cubs in 1997, Sandberg spent the next nine years as a spring-training instructor.

He then spent several years managing in the minor leagues, with stops at Peoria (A, 2007-08), Tennessee (AA, 2009) and Iowa (AAA, 2010). In 2010, his first season as a Triple-A manager, Sandberg was named Manager of the Year in the Pacific Coast League after leading the Iowa Cubs to a tie for the best record in the Northern Division (82-62)

At Double-AA Tennessee, Cubs infield prospect Addison Russell recalls Sandberg signing more autographs than any of the players.

“I know in Tennessee they’d line it up right by the dugout and it’d go

up all the way to the concourse and wrap around a little bit,” he said. “And he’d

sign every single one.”

Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro and reliever James Russell both believed Sandberg to be a good manager.

“He’s good,” Castro said. “He protects his players. He defends us. I think he’s a

good manager.”

Sandberg managed Triple-A Lehigh Valley before joining the Phillies as a third-base coach and infield coach in 2012. He became the club’s interim manager on Aug. 16, 2013, and was given the job officially on Sept. 22, 2013.

More coming on this story.