On Saturday night, following an uninspiring 8-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds which brought the St. Louis Cardinals to a 47-46 record on the season, the St. Louis Cardinals relieved manager Mike Matheny of his duties, in addition to hitting coach John Mabry and assistant hitting coach Bill Mueller. Bench coach Mike Shildt will serve as interim manager.

Matheny became the manager of the Cardinals following the 2011 season, taking over the reigns from Hall of Famer manager Tony LaRussa. While his tenure was initially met with great success, going from the NLCS to the World Series to the NLCS to a 100-win season in his first four seasons, Matheny came under fire throughout his tenure, particularly in last few seasons, for his tactical shortcomings.

The degree to which St. Louis Bullpen has criticized Mike Matheny cannot be overstated, but I believe I speak for the entire St. Louis Bullpen staff when I wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors, particularly as his future endeavors apparently will not involve managing the Cardinals.