In midst of playoff run, Yost fired by Brewers

MILWAUKEE - In an unprecedented move, the Milwaukee Brewers fired manager Ned Yost yesterday, hoping to pull out of another late-season slump that has jeopardized the team's chance of making the playoffs for the first time since 1982.

Third base coach Dale Sveum will take over as interim manager for the remainder of the season. The Brewers have lost seven of eight and fallen into a tie with Philadelphia for the NL wild-card lead.

It marked the first time in major league history - except the strike-split 1981 season - that a manager was fired in August or later with his team in playoff position, the Elias Sports Bureau said.

At 83-67, the Brewers have 12 games to rebound.

Milwaukee came into this month with a 5 1/2-game lead in the wild card, but since has lost 11 of 14 - including a four-game sweep completed by the Phillies over the weekend.

"[Yost] didn't have all the answers for what is going on the last two weeks and I'm not sure I have all the answers," general manager Doug Melvin said during a news conference at a hotel in Chicago. "I'm not sure this is the right one, either."

Melvin met with principal owner Mark Attanasio yesterday morning and the decision to fire Yost was made. Melvin acknowledged it was an unprecedented move but one that "shows we're serious about winning."

"We just felt a managerial change at least gives us a chance to see if we can turn it around," he added.

The Brewers were idle yesterday and will begin a three-game series against the Central-leading Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field tonight.

During the rejiggered 1981 season, the Montreal Expos fired future Hall of Fame manager Dick Williams in early September. The Expos went 16-11 under Jim Fanning to win the second-half title and make the playoffs.

Sveum immediately hired Hall of Famer Robin Yount, his former teammate, to be his bench coach and said Garth Iorg will coach third base. "Something obviously went wrong the last two weeks," Sveum said.

In 2007, the Brewers held an 8 1/2-game division lead in late June but slid to 83-79 and missed the playoffs.