(AP) CLEVELAND — In Cleveland baseball history, Craig Counsell is known as the World Series antagonist.
CLEVELAND (AP) — Craig Counsell’s place in Cleveland baseball history is as World Series villain.
He could become something more appealing.
Counsell, who has led the Milwaukee Brewers to the playoffs five times in the past six seasons, met Monday with the Guardians about their managerial opening, a person familiar with the discussions told The Associated Press.
(AP) CLEVELAND — In Cleveland baseball history, Craig Counsell is known as the World Series antagonist.
He might develop into something more desirable.
Counsell, who has guided the Milwaukee Brewers to the postseason five times in the previous six seasons, met with the Guardians on Monday to explore their managerial vacancy, an Associated Press source said.
The person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the team is not making its search public stated that the 53-year-old Counsell spent the majority of the day at Progressive Field for his interview with the Guardians.
Counsell’s Milwaukee contract is about to expire this week, but in the hopes of landing the highly sought-after manager again, the Brewers are giving him permission to go elsewhere. According to reports, Counsell is also being courted by the New York Mets, who have significantly greater financial resources than the Brewers or Guardians.
Mark Attanasio, the major owner of the Brewers, has stated repeatedly that the franchise hopes to have Counsell back in 2024.
There’s an intriguing link between Counsell and Cleveland. He hit a game-winning sacrifice fly in his time as a light-hitting infielder for Florida. The bottom of the ninth inning in Game 7 of the 1997 World Series as the Marlins rallied to beat Cleveland and win a title.
Counsell spent 16 seasons as a major league player.
Following the departure of Terry Francona, the most successful captain in club history, following this season, Cleveland is in the process of hiring a manager for the first time since 2012.
A number of applicants have been interviewed by the Guardians to succeed Francona. Stephen Vogt, the bullpen coach for the Mariners, is regarded as one of the top prospects and visited Cleveland last week for his second interview with the team.
This season, Milwaukee finished 92-70 and won the NL Central division, but the Arizona Diamondbacks swept them in the Wild Card Series.
Counsell took over as Milwaukee’s manager during the 2015 season after Ron Roenicke was fired. The Brewers had made a total of four playoff appearances before Counsell took over.
The longest-tenured manager in the National League, Counsell is 707-625 with the Brewers, giving him the club record for wins and games managed
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