ST. LOUIS (AP) β St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina (YAH’-dee-ehr moh-LEE’-nuh) will try to play in the NL Division Series while wearing a splint to protect his injured left thumb. Molina hasn’t played since suffering a partially torn ligament on Sept. 20 making a tag at the plate. The Cardinals said the injury was still present, and he will test the splint during workouts the next few days before the team decides whether he’s on the postseason roster.
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) β Billy Eppler has been introduced as the Angels’ new general manager, bringing the Southern California native back home after 11 years in the Yankees’ front office. The former UConn pitcher moved up from a scouting position to GM Brian Cashman’s valued assistant during his time in the Bronx. Angels owner Arte Moreno also confirmed that Mike Scioscia (SOH’-shuh) will return for his 17th season next year, the longest tenure among current big league managers.
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) β The Oakland Athletics have promoted David Forst to general manager and kicked Billy Beane up to executive vice president of baseball operations. Forst just completed his 16th year with the low-budget franchise and 12th as assistant GM. Beane and Forst have regularly split up their duties in such a way that Forst has better relationships with some agents and opposing GMs.
WASHINGTON (AP) β Skipper Matt Williams and his coaching staff have been dismissed by the Washington Nationals after two seasons, one year after he was named NL Manager of the Year. Williams guided the Nats to the NL East title in 2014, and the ballclub was the favorite to win the World Series this season before finishing 83-79 and seven games behind the Mets. General manager Mike Rizzo says he plans to interview managerial candidates with “diverse backgrounds, diverse experiences and diverse skill sets.”
MIAMI (AP) β Dan Campbell has been named the interim head coach of the Miami Dolphins following the dismissal of Joe Philbin this morning. Campbell takes over a team that is off to a 1-3 start and went 24-28 without a winning season in three-plus years under Philbin. Campbell has been with the Dolphins since 2010 and was serving as tight ends coach.
