The Kansas City Royals head coach has announced his retirement due to the coming of another coach.
Missouri’s Kansas City Ned Yost, manager of the Kansas City Royals, declared on Monday that he will retire this Sunday, September 29, following the 2019 season finale against the Minnesota Twins.
Finishing his career with 2,544 games managed, three more than Hall of Fame manager Earl Weaver, will place him 32nd all-time in games managed. He is the first manager to lead the Royals to consecutive World Series berths and the most successful manager in franchise history with 744 victories.
Yost, who has 1,201 wins going into the last week, will also end his managing career 45th overall in wins.
“I feel and hope that the worst is behind us in this rebuilding phase of our organization,” Yost remarked, citing the progress of his young players and the returning veterans. “My entire strategy was to get us through the difficult periods and then hand it off to new management to get us through the remaining portion.
I’ve had a great experience serving as your manager, and I’ll always remember the good and bad times we’ve shared as a group and a fan base. I will always be grateful for your followers’ unwavering support throughout everything. I will always hold a particular place in my heart for Kansas City, and I can’t wait to cheer the Royals on to their next World Championship in the near future.
Yost, 65, is still the manager with the highest winning percentage among managers who have overseen at least 20 postseason games, having guided the Royals to a 22-9 postseason record.
His club from 2014 was the first in Major League history to start the postseason with eight straight wins, defeating Oakland at home in the Wild Card Game and then sweeping the Baltimore Orioles (4-0) and Los Angeles Angels (3-0) in the Championship Series.
He led the Royals to their second World Series championship the next season, winning four straight series against the New York Mets after they had defeated Houston (3-2) in the Division Series and Toronto (4-2) in the Championship Series. Kansas City had not won a World Series since 1985.
