Report: Mariners hire Wedge as new manager

SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners have reportedly chosen former Cleveland Indians skipper Eric Wedge as their new manager.

SI.com first reported on Friday that the Mariners had selected Wedge to be their manager after their second 101-loss season in three years. Other media outlets had similar reports late Friday. Wedge becomes the team’s sixth manager since the beginning of the 2007 season.

Asked to comment on media reports about Wedge, the Mariners said there would be no official announcement Friday.

Wedge had the Indians within one game of the World Series in 2007 before falling to the eventual champion Boston Red Sox in seven games. The Indians finished with 90-plus wins in two of the seven seasons Wedge managed the club. He earned manager of the year honors in 2007.

The Mariners relieved manager Don Wakamatsu of his duties, along with pitching coach Rick Adair, bench coach Ty Van Burkleo and performance coach Steve Hecht, on Aug. 9 amid one of the worst seasons in franchise history. The Mariners were just 42-70 in Wakamatsu’s second season with the club when general manager Jack Zduriencik said he had lost faith in his coaching staff and decided the team needed to go in a different direction.

Daren Brown became the interim manager as the team continued its slide from a preseason favorite to win the AL West to the American League cellar.

Wedge becomes responsible for revitalizing the Mariners and an offense that scored just 513 runs, the fewest runs in franchise history for a non-strike shortened season.