WPBL fires Keith Foulke as Boston Hunters supervisor after 3 video games

Just three video games after becoming a member of the upstart Women’s Professional Baseball League, former Boston Red Sox pitcher Keith Foulke is out as supervisor of the Boston Hunters.

The Hunters announced Foulke’s departure from the staff Sunday, thanking him for his contributions whereas naming former MLB infielder Jemile Weeks as their new supervisor.

Weeks performed within the massive leagues from 2011 to 2016, a run that included stops with the Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, Red Sox and San Diego Padres. He was most not too long ago an assistant coach for the WPBL’s Los Angeles Queens.

Foulke was on the mound when the Red Sox closed out the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 4 of the 2004 World Series, breaking an 86-year title drought often known as the “Curse of the Bambino.” In addition to his three seasons in Boston, the 11-year MLB veteran additionally performed for the San Francisco Giants, Chicago White Sox and the Athletics. Foulke didn’t return The Athletic’s request for touch upon Wednesday.

In an interview with The State Journal-Register, Foulke said league ownership notified him of his firing half an hour earlier than the Hunters’ Saturday sport towards the New York Heights. Foulke mentioned the group included WPBL CEO Keith Stein and commissioner Justine Siegal, and that his dismissal stemmed from a scheduling battle.

According to Foulke, his contract included permission for him to journey dwelling often to spend time together with his spouse and youngsters in Arizona. He informed the Journal-Register that Stein signed off on the contract, however that Siegal appeared unaware of the association.

“It’s just disappointing,” Foulke mentioned to the Journal-Register. “At the end of the day, I walk with my head held high. I didn’t do anything wrong. I didn’t say anything derogatory. I didn’t say anything mean to my players, ever. I was always really positive. I think the ownership just kind of had a change of mind on the schedule that we’d agreed upon. I was the manager, but I wasn’t going to be able to be there full time, and ultimately, they didn’t think that was a good plan.”

The Hunters are 1-3 within the WPBL’s debut season. They dropped their first two video games to the San Francisco Firebells and Los Angeles Queens, respectively. Boston notched its first win Saturday towards the Heights in Foulke’s remaining sport as supervisor, then misplaced a day later to the Heights in Weeks’ managerial debut.

“We appreciate Keith’s time and commitment to the Boston Hunters and wish him and his family all the best in the future,” mentioned Siegal within the league’s assertion asserting Foulke’s firing. “We have a talented group of players, and our focus is on building a strong, unified team and competing at a high level every day. We believe Jemile is the right person to lead this team, and we are excited about what lies ahead.”

The WPBL mentioned it could not remark any additional on the managerial change.

Boston will face the Heights once more on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET. All 30 of the league’s regular-season video games are being performed at Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield, Ill.