MLB: Pittsburgh Pirates at Los Angeles Angels - Source: ImagnMLB fans slam Pirates ownership and front office after Derek Shelton firing (image credit: IMAGN)

After a 12-26 start, the Pittsburgh Pirates are firing Derek Shelton. Bench coach Don Kelly has taken over for him. The Pirates fell to the St. Louis Cardinals 5-0 on Wednesday.

This move comes after Shelton amassed a 306-440 record since being hired in 2019. In the six seasons, the Pirates have never finished better than 76-86, which was their record the last two years.

MLB fans ripped into the team from top to bottom for the failure, although the prevailing sentiment is that Shelton was not the right manager.

“Not his fault your owner does nothing to improve the team,” a fan tweeted.

I guess that means they are going to start hitting the baseball now,” one fan wrote.

“Perfect. Now fire the owner and allow proper organizational management,” another fan said.

“The entire organization is to blame for its disturbing trend of abject failure, but Derek Shelton’s inexplicable managerial strategy was a HUGE part of the club’s descent into irrelevance,” a fan commented.

“IT FINALLY F*****G HAPPENED HOLY H**L THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE,” another fan commented.

“Derek Shelton getting fired the same time as a new pope was chosen sure is interesting timing,” one fan wrote.

Despite having players like Bryan Reynolds and Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh is in last place. The team is already 10 games back of the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central.

Pirates GM opens up on Derek Shelton firing

The Pittsburgh Pirates believe they can be better than their 12-26 record, and are moving on from Derek Shelton.

Derek Shelton was fired by the Pirates (Imagn)Derek Shelton was fired by the Pirates (Imagn)

“Derek worked incredibly hard and sacrificed a lot over five-plus years,” Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said on Thursday, via ESPN. “His family became a big part of the Pirates family, and we will miss that. He’s an incredibly smart, curious, and driven baseball leader. I believe he was the right person for the job when he was hired. I also believe that a change is now necessary. I wish Derek and his family all the best in their next chapter.”

Pittsburgh has lost seven games in a row, and Pirates owner Bob Nutting said there’s still “a lot of baseball left to be played,” but hopes the team will operate with more urgency and start winning games. He specifically said to “fix this now” and get the organization back on track.