PHILADELPHIA -- Spokane native and baseballHall of Famer Ryne Sandberg was named the new manager of the Philadelphia Phillies Friday, replacing the fired Charlie Manuel.
Sandberg, the Phillies' third base coach, gained fame as the Chicago Cubs second baseman in the 1980s and 90s.He was drafted by the Phillies in 1978 out of North Central High School in Spokane.
Sandberg managed the Phillies' Triple-A team at Lehigh Valley the previous two seasons.
The team says Sandberg will take over beginning with Friday night's game against the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Phillies have lost 19 of 24 since last month's All-Star break and are 20 1/2 games out of first in the NL East.
The 69-year-old Manuel has been a folksy presence in the Phillies' dugout since the beginning of the 2005 season. He led Philadelphia to a World Series title in 2008 and brought the team back to the series in 2009, when they lost to the Yankees.
Manuel was 780-636 with the Phillies and won five straight NL East titles from 2007-2011. He also spent three years as manager with the Cleveland Indians, winning the AL Central in 2001.
Even with an aging roster, the Phillies were expected to contend in the NL East this season, but the team has fallen apart.
Two-time Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay has missed most of the season with an injury. Slugger Ryan Howard also has been out with an injury. High-priced reliever Jonathan Papelbon has struggled to close, and apart from Chase Utley and Dominic Brown the Phillies haven't hit much.
