San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler walks to the dugout after making a pitching change during the seventh inning against the San Diego Padres at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Thu Sep 29, 2023. Which turned out to Kapler’s last game as a Giants manager. (AP News photo)

By Mary Anne

The San Francisco Giants fired their manager Gabe Kapler, also known as Kap, after four seasons with the team from 2020-23. Kapler led the Giants to one postseason trip in 2021 when they lost to their biggest rival, the Los Angeles Dodgers, in five games in the 2021 National League Division Series (NLDS). The Giants finished 107-55 in 162 regular-season games with a .660% win percentage in ’21.

Kapler previously served as manager of the Philadelphia Phillies from 2018-19. As an MLB shortstop, Kapler played for the Detroit Tigers (1998-99), Texas Rangers (2000-02), Colorado Rockies (2002-03), Boston Red Sox (2003-04, 2005-06), Yomiuri Giants (2005), Milwaukee Brewers (2008), and Tampa Bay Rays (2009-2010). And, as a NCAA baseball player, Kapler played for Cal State Fullerton before transferring to Moorpark College. Kapler was inducted into the Moorpark College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008.

The Giants’ firing of Kapler, a 48-year-old Reseda, Los Angeles, California, native, came with just three regular-season games in 2023. The Giants’ record is 78-81, pending the final score of tonight’s home game against the Dodgers, who are 98-61 at present.

In a statement released to ESPN, Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said he made the “recommendation to ownership” to fire Kapler and then did so after “receiving their approval.”

Kai Correa will serve as interim manager for the Giants’ last three games. Correa, an infield and baserunning coach, has been with the Giants since 2020. The 35-year-old is a Hilo, Hawaii, native of Native Hawaiian, Portuguese, and Japanese descent. Correa’s alma mater is the University of Puget Sound, where he played NCAA baseball and graduated with a degree in U.S. history.

Correa previously served as an infield coach and a defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Indians, a volunteer assistant and assistant coach for the University of Northern Colorado, and head assistant coach, recruiting coordinator, infield coach, and third-base coach for the University of Puget Sound.