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Mike Scioscia, in the middle, laughs in the dugout before Sunday's game between the Los Angeles Angels and Oakland Athletics.
(AP Photo / Reed Saxon)
Los Angeles Angels director Mike Scioscia said Sunday he will not return in 2019, ending his 19-year term at the club.
Scioscia made the announcement after the end of the 2018 Angels season with a 5-4 victory over the Oakland Athletics. They finished with a record of 80-82, their third consecutive losing season.
The imminent departure of Scioscia had been announced earlier in the season, but he had refused to confirm it until Sunday. The former receiver of the Los Angeles Dodgers was in the final year of his contract.
During the match, Scioscia sat on the bench and chatted with his team, while head coach Alfredo Griffin was standing in the usual place of Scioscia, right on the steps. Later, third goal coach Dino Ebel took Griffin's place.
Scioscia guided the Angels to their first World Series title in 2002, her third season as manager. The club also won five league titles in the American League in the six seasons between 2004 and 2009. In two of those years, the Angels won the AHL championship – losing to the Chicago White Sox in 2005 and the New York Yankees in 2009..
After five years out of the playoffs, the Angels bounced back to win 98 games in 2014 to ensure the league's best regular season. However, they were eliminated from the playoffs by the Kansas City Royals and have not returned to the playoffs since.
"The dedication and commitment that Mike Scioscia has brought to Angels Baseball over the past 19 years has greatly contributed to our transformation into an elite organization," said Angels owner Arte. Moreno, in a statement. "We will always be grateful and proud that the Angels played a role in his Hall of Fame career."
In total, Scioscia has made 3,078 regular-season games in 19 seasons as Angels skipper with 1,650 wins and 1,428 losses. He also went 21-27 in 48 playoff games.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
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