Charlie Manuel done as Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg takes over

After a tenure that included five playoff trips Charlie Manuel is out as Phillies manager. (USATSI)

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Charlie Manuel's days of managing the Phillies are over.

Manuel has been removed as manager and replaced by Ryne Sandberg on an interim basis the Phillies announced Friday afternoon.

During a news conference Manuel made it clear that he did not quit and said it's something they wanted to do.

General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. himself made it clear that Manuel was going to be out at the end of the season anyway so with the Phillies struggling so badly now was a logical time to give Sandberg his shot.

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This ends a tenure of nearly nine full seasons in which Manuel was at the helm for five NL East championships two National League pennants and one World Series title. He ends said tenure with a regular season record of 780 636 and a postseason record of 27 19.

Including his three seasons managing the Indians Manuel has a career record of 1 000 826. In seasons he has managed all 162 games he has never had a losing record the 81 81 mark last season was his worst full season. That likely would have changed this season as the Phillies sit at 53 67.

Manuel will turn 70 this coming January.

It has long been assumed that Sandberg the Phillies' third base coach would replace Manuel as manager after this season so the promotion doesn't come as a big surprise.

Sandberg was a Hall of Famer who spent the overwhelming majority of his career with the Cubs but he was drafted and made his big league debut with the Phillies. He managed in the minors in the Cubs system from 2007 10 but after being passed over for the Cubs big league managerial job in favor of Mike Quade Sandberg left the organization to manage the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (the Phillies' Triple A affiliate). He was then brought up to the bigs this season as the third base coach.

And now Sandberg will get his first crack at being a major league manager. He has the label of interim manager though that could be just to satisfy MLB with the process of replacing Manuel. The expectation reports Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com is that Sandberg will be the manager next season too.

With Sandberg taking over as manager Juan Samuel will take over as the third base coach while Wally Joyner will be the first base coach.

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