A ballclub can only absorb so many blows before someone goes down for the count. It seemed inevitable that somebody would be held accountable for the Indians’ collapse in a season built on so much promise.
Cleveland dismissed Manny Acta from his duties as manager on Thursday. Sandy Alomar Jr. — beloved in the clubhouse and by the Indians’ fan base — was promoted to the role of interim manager after serving as Acta’s bench coach this season.
“Manny is a tremendous person with great baseball experience and an unparalleled work ethic,” Indians general manager Chris Antonetti said. “Every day he was here, he worked tirelessly to make the organization better. Unfortunately, our results on the field fell short of our expectations.
“We’re disappointed that we weren’t able to win more consistently under Manny’s leadership, but we we felt a new approach at this point will give us the best chance to have success moving forward.”
Promoting Alomar was a logical move, considering multiple teams have considered him for managerial positions over the past two offseasons. Antonetti indicated that Alomar would indeed be the primary candidate for the permanent role, but the organization will consider others as well.
One name already linked to Cleveland’s search is former Red Sox manager Terry Francona.
As for Acta, who did all he could to stay true to his optimistic outlook over the course of the past two trying months, he was simply unable to lead the Indians out of a historic downward spiral. Acta switched lineups, called meetings and tweaked roles, but Cleveland’s stumble proved too steep.
The Tribe believed a change was needed.
Acta, who spoke with reporters via phone on Thursday evening, was surprised to learn the news. That said, he expressed no regrets and did not have any harsh words for his former employer.
“My challenge going forward is not going to be to find another job,” Acta said, “it’s going to be where to find better people to work for and better people to work with. Unbelievable people from top to bottom, from ownership to the bat boy. I had a great three years of relationships here and have no regrets and no bitterness.
“It’s part of the business. I understand it. I was hired to win as many games as I could. I gave my best.”
Antonetti arrived at the decision — along with president Mark Shapiro and CEO Paul Dolan — on Wednesday night. Out of respect for Acta, the club felt it was best to inform him of his dismissal before the conclusion of the regular season.
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