The San Diego Padres picked Triple-A manager Pat Murphy to serve as the big league club's interim manager for the rest of the season Tuesday, a day after firing Bud Black following a lackluster start.
The 56-year-old Murphy has been with the Padres organization since 2010 and has managed the Padres' Triple-A affiliate in El Paso the last three seasons.
''It's definitely an opportunity that he's earned,'' said Padres general manager A.J. Preller. ''I think it's a chance for him to go out, the team to go out, and show what he's capable of.''
Black, who was in his ninth season as manager, had a 649-713 record but never took San Diego to the postseason.
He was named 2010 National League manager of the year after leading the Padres to a 90-72 record, the most wins by San Diego since a franchise-record 98 in 1998. The Padres haven't had a winning season since then and last year finished 18 games behind Los Angeles in the NL West.
''Time will tell,'' said Padres closer Craig Kimbrel after San Diego's 6-5 loss on Tuesday. ''But it was great to hear from him this morning. He gave us an idea of who he is and how he likes to manage and what he expects from us.''
Black was fired with star-studded San Diego, which underwent a roster overhaul in the offseason that brought in big names like Matt Kemp, sitting in third place in a loaded division.
Murphy's record with El Paso over the past three seasons is 180-172.
''I just have to learn, to get up to speed,'' Murphy said. ''I need to try and get as much information as I can and try to hit the ground running.
Before joining the Padres, Murphy coached at four different stops in college, including Arizona State (1995-2009) and Notre Dame (1988-94). He compiled an overall record of 1,000-457-4 in 25 years as a college head coach.
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