MLB teams that improved dramatically after firing manager midseason?
 

I've read that the now ex Cardinals manager Mike Matheny was disliked by many players. Under their new manager Mike Shildt the Cards now fighting for a playoff spot.

Can you think of instances when a manager was fired mid season and the team immediately turned it around and started winning often?

Whitey Herzog took over for KC in the middle of the 1975 season of the Royals.

Prior to Herzog, Jack McKeon posted a mid-season 50-46 record. Whitey took over and the team went 41-25. He went on to manage the team to division titles in 1976, 77, and 78.

1988 Red Sox
 

The 1988 Boston Red Sox were 43-42 at the all-star break and fired John McNamara and replaced him with Joe Morgan. Morgan's magic went 23-8 over the first 31 games and they went on to win the American League East.

In 1978, Bob Lemon took over the Yankees when they were 52-43 and they were 10 1/2 games back of the Red Sox and in 3rd place. He led the Yankees to a 48-20 record to finish the season, beating the Red Sox in a playoff, then beating the Royals 3-1 and Dodgers 4-2 to win a World Championship.

They weren't to midseason, but the 1982 Brewers jumped to mind as a team that had a big time turnaround after Buck Rodgers was fired on June 1st. They started 23-24 with him, then Harvey Kuenn took over. The Brewers went 72-43 the rest of the way, ending at 95-67, losing the World Series to the Cardinals 4-3.

You failed to reference one’s exuberant neighbors in a cheap motel, the Wallbangers.:eek:

"Trader" Jack McKeon. Took over the struggling but enormously talented Marlins team in 2003. The club started the season just 16-22 under Jeff Torborg before McKeon took over on May 11. The rest, of course, was history. :D

The Phillies fired Pat Corrales with one game above .500 in 1983 and Paul Owens put himself in the dugout. They won the pennant that year.

The only problem is the Phillies were already tied for 1st place when Owens took over. They improved, but I wouldn't call tied for 1st to finishing 1st a dramatic improvement.