Sad news: It has been officially revealed that the head coach of the Pittsburgh Pirates will be terminating his contract.

Pittsburgh Clint Hurdle took the Pirates to areas they hadn’t been in a long time earlier this decade. Hurdle won the 2013 National League Manager of the Year award after the Bucs returned to the postseason for the first time in 20 years to Pittsburgh. After that, he was the dependable, encouraging force behind two more postseason teams.

However, general manager Neal Huntington reaffirmed that on Sunday afternoon, echoing what Hurdle himself stated earlier this week: every manager has a shelf life. Hurdle was thought to have reached the end of his career in Pittsburgh by the Pirates.

The Pirates benched Hurdle on Sunday, one hour and ten minutes before their season finale, bringing a stop to his nine years in Pittsburgh’s dugout.

Huntington remarked, “We felt like this was a time to have a new voice, to have new leadership in that clubhouse,” at a PNC Park press conference. “His tenure here should be appreciated when you consider where we were before him. We did not delve far enough. We were not World Series winners. However, we returned to the postseason.

• With Hurdle out of the picture, what comes next for the Pirates?

Before Sunday’s game, Huntington informed Hurdle of the news because he thought it was right to inform him that he was going to oversee his final game as a Pirate. Hurdle had the opportunity to address the club and bid farewell to his former players and coaches on Monday, as opposed to receiving the news in an empty ballpark.

First baseman Josh Bell stated, “Being able to say goodbye was cool.” “It was difficult to say goodbye, especially to the captain who had been starting me for so many years. Simply wishing for the best for him going forward.